From servant to leader

29.08.2023

Tuesday 29 August 2023

“Simon, Satan called for you to sift you like we do to purify the grain. But I prayed for you…” Luke 22. 31-32 Version Nouvelle French Courant

As Peter will soon deny Him three times, Jesus tells him that Satan has asked to sift him, but that once restored, Peter will be able to strengthen the faith of his brothers. Jon Walker exclaims, upon reading this verse : “But the crucial question that Peter could have asked : “But Lord, did You have to accept ?” ! Indeed, knowing that Jesus was God, and that He had all power, why did Jesus allow Satan, the enemy of believers, to sift Peter ? Job had found himself in a similar situation, not understanding the reason for his trials. The latter, even without understanding, came to trust God and accept His decisions. Perhaps some days you will wonder if God is going to allow Satan to sift you. Choosing to believe that God is nevertheless in control and that He will not allow Satan to overstep the limits He has imposed will allow you to face the test. For John said : “Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4). A “screening” does two things :

1- He is a source of glory for God, as when Job praised God even though his wife advised him to curse Him before dying.

2- It exposes our weaknesses, revealing areas of our lives where we still imagine we can manage without the Lord. In the case of Peter, the sifting made him a servant of Jesus ready to become a leader, whose faith had been strengthened by coming out of the test and who could now strengthen that of his companions. The ordeal that Peter had to go through would prepare him to accomplish the mission that Jesus wanted to entrust to him. Notice that Jesus did not say to Peter, “Satan has asked to sift you, and you will suffer sorely when you realize how much you have let me down...” No, Jesus said immediately : “ I prayed for you...” And that's what He will do for you also in the same circumstances.

Source (His Word for Today)