31 “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, 32 but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” 33 Peter said to him, “Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death.” 34 Jesus said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day, until you deny three times that you know me.”
Luke 22
Despite Peter
I’ve written about this passage before and what it means to me so I’ll keep my comments brief. I love that despite Peter’s naivety, Jesus was patient with him. I love that despite Peter’s self-confidence, Jesus would love him by humbling him. I love that despite Peter’s zeal, Jesus tells him that it will be His prayer, His intercession that sustains Peter’s faith. Jesus knew Peter’s frailty and fickleness. He knew Peter would betray Him; and yet He still chose him, prayed for him, and ultimately died for him.
And yet, Jesus still left Peter with two commands; He still knew that He could use Peter. He said here, “strengthen your brothers” and at the end of the Gospel of John, on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, Jesus tells Peter three times, “Feed my sheep”.
And yet, Jesus does the same with us - - He certainly did the same with me.
Clay Feet
A friend of mine said it perfectly to me recently. He said, “God is careful to make sure that, no matter how useful we have proven to be in His hands, our feet of clay are clearly visible. This is partly so that it may be seen (by we ourselves) that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us.”
I’m sure as we start this blog there will be plenty of times where my clay feet are clumsily trodding around and dirtying everything they touch - and for those times I ask for grace. But more than that, I hope that you are in some way strengthened and fed, and that you will see that the glory goes to God for that.
Posted by NB
Follow @TheModernPost on Twitter for the latest updates, answers to questions, and exclusive content.
