Monday, October 27, 2008

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That Your Faith May Not Fail

"Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you like wheat.  But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail.  And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers" (Luke 22:31-32).

I have said on more than a few occasions how much I like the apostle Peter, and in fact all of the disciples.  They are so like us, and we can learn so much from their successes and their failures.  Their stories, like all of the stories in the Bible were written for our encouragement and hope.  But it is up to us to read them and study them and find in them what we need.

On this particular occasion, Jesus and the disciples had just celebrated the passover together.  Their celebration has come to be called the last supper, but they didn't know that it was the last meal that they would eat together.  Jesus took the bread and the cup and made some changes to the regular passover meal creating what is now the communion meal of the church.  The disciples assuredly didn't know the full significance of what he was doing.  And finally, he predicted his betrayal, the very thing that Judas had earlier in the day agreed with the chief priests and teachers of the law to assist in.  Finally, the meal ended in questions as to who would be the one to betray him and then an argument about who was going to be the greatest of the disciples in the coming kingdom of God.  Don't you hate it when a special occasion is ruined by a silly argument?  How do you think Jesus must have felt?

Jesus used the occasion to teach them about the truth of his kingdom.  That is is not about lordship or being first.  It is about serving and being a servant.  It is about following his example of service and a kingdom founded on servanthood.  In this whole context, Jesus addressed the words above to Peter.

In a way, reminiscent of Job (Job 1:6-12), Peter was slated for some "sifting" by the enemy.  And apparently, like God did with Job, Jesus did not say no to Satan as far as Peter was concerned.  I believe that it is important for all of us to recognize that Satan does this with respect to each one of us who take the name of Christ.  And, whether we understand it or not, God allows it.  God allows each of us to be sifted like wheat, so that the chaff can be blown away and the grain, the seed, can remain.  Satan is involved in this somehow, but God is in control and is working out his eternal plan.  We need to be okay with even this part of God's plan for each of us.

Is this sifting fun?  I think not.  Ask Job.  Ask Peter.  Ask yourself.  But it brings good and that is why we endure it.  Thankfully, Jesus prays for Peter and for us.  Otherwise, we probably would not make it.  Jesus prays, "not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one" (John 17:15).  And Jesus' prayer for Simon and for each of us in fact is "that your faith may not fail" (Luke 22:32).  That is his greatest concern.  It is not that we be comfy and cozy.  It is that we be people of faith whose faith does not fail!

Here is the really exciting part.  Jesus is a realist.  He prays that Peter's faith won't fail.  And then he says, "and when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers" (Luke 22:32).  He already knew what the immediate result of Peter's sifting would be and that before the start of another day, Peter would deny even knowing him.  He told Peter that he would fail (Luke 22:34), and he knew that Peter would fail in walking out his bold confession (see Luke 22:33).  He knows that we will all often fail in our attempts to walk out what we want to be and do for him.  His concern is not perfection in practice but faith that takes us beyond even our own failings!

Jesus came to Peter afterwards and restored him (see John 21:15-19).  And he will do that for us when we fail too.  His concern and his prayer always:  that your faith may not fail.

Jesus is praying for us today.  That our faith may not fail.  He's not naive about what we can and cannot do.  He takes us as we are and where we are.  He sees us with forgiveness and grace.  And in the midst of whatever is our life and the mix of success and failure, he plants seeds of faith that he encourages to grow through his prayers for you and me.  He has prayed for us all along and he is praying for us even now.  Praying that your faith will succeed, and with his prayers and his provision, it will!

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