“Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” (Luke 22:31–32)
When do you lose confidence in your friendships? Isn’t it most often when you realize that people can’t handle you in your weaker moments?
If a relationship falters because of something you did—because you let the other person down, didn’t carry through on a promise, said something inappropriate, or even sinned against them—then you learn that the friendship is only as good or as strong as you are. When that happens, you lose confidence in the other person’s commitment to you.
Conversely, if they can handle you well when you’re not at your best, then you grow more confident in them and in your relationship with them.
Watch, then, as Jesus engages Peter at one of Peter’s least impressive moments. Jesus was eating the Passover meal with his disciples on the night he was betrayed. He knew that they would all abandon him (see Matt. 26:31). In a few short hours they would all be faithless, and Peter would lead the charge as he denied even knowing Christ (see Matt. 26:34).
Remember that this is the guy who confessed earlier that Jesus was God’s Messiah—the one who would save his people (see Matt. 16:16). Put yourself in his place. Can you imagine the uncertainty that would flood your mind after you had rejected him? How you’d wonder whether someone who could deny the Savior had ever really been saved—or, worse, now that you’d distanced yourself from him, could ever be saved? Wouldn’t you end up wondering, “What hope is there for me now?”
The hope was there before Peter even sinned. Jesus told him that he knew what Peter would do before he did it. His faithless denial didn’t surprise Jesus. More importantly, Jesus told him what he had already done for him in advance. He prayed that Peter’s faith wouldn’t fail and that he would turn back—that he would have more confidence in Christ’s ability to save him than in his own ability to place himself beyond salvation.
This same Jesus now prays for you (see Heb. 7:25). If he prays for people’s faith not to fail in extreme cases, don’t you think that he also prays for your faith not to fail as you question his love for you or his ability to save you?
The only difference is that he no longer prays on earth with his glory cloaked; now, having been raised from the dead and exalted to the right hand of God, he prays in heaven, where he is radiant and glorified beyond our imagining (see Rom. 8:34; Heb. 1:3).
His prayer was powerfully effective on earth. What possible reason could you have for believing that it’s less so now?
Have you noticed that Jesus is not intimidated by his people’s struggles with faith?
Do you see how proactively Christ works right now to rescue people from themselves?
Take a few minutes and thank him for all the ways he is continuing to work in your life to bring you closer to himself.
DON’T ALLOW YOUR WEAKNESS TO DRAW YOU AWAY FROM GOD.
GOD KNOWS YOUR FAITH WILL BE WEAK AT TIMES, GOD KNOWS YOU WILL SIN AT TIMES, AND GOD KNOWS THERE MAY BE TIMES WHEN YOU TURN AWAY FROM HIM. JESUS IS PRAYING FOR YOUR FAITH TO STRENGTHEN, JESUS IS PRAYING FOR YOU TO TURN FROM YOUR SIN, JESUS IS PRAYING FOR YOU TO RETURN TO GOD.
AGAIN, DON’T ALLOW YOUR WEAKNESS TO CAUSE YOU TO TURN FROM GOD, OR STAY AWAY FROM GOD. ALLOW YOUR WEAKNESS TO CAUSE YOU TO COME TO GOD, OR RETURN TO GOD, KNOWING THAT HE IS PRAYING AND WANTING YOU TO COME TO HIM.
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PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM