“And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.” (Luke 22:31-32)
James 5:16 says, “The prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” This is a good thing, too, because we have access to the one true righteous man, Jesus Christ, and He, similar to praying, intercedes and cares for us just as He did for Peter. We can bring our own needs and the needs of others before the golden throne of grace, before the Creator of all things! Just think about how amazing it is that God knows every person who has ever walked the earth, what every one of them thought every moment of their lives, sees everything, and that same God knows me and is willing and ready to hear my needs.
Peter responds to Christ in Luke 22:33 by saying, “Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison and into death.” Soon, Peter would try to fight off the enemies of the Church with the sword, but once Jesus was taken, Peter fled with the other disciples. He would come back at a distance and join the servants by the fire. Then he denied Christ three times.
Yet, Jesus Christ still used Peter for His glory. In Matthew 16, He says “Blessed art thou Simon Barjona ….thou art Peter, and upon this Rock I will build my church… and I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven…”
Peter, the one disciple who fell into deep sin against Christ, became a major leader in the Church. God continues to use sinners like Peter in the Church today. He uses us who, again and again, mess up. We deny Christ to our neighbor when we tolerate or even partake in wicked language or jokes. We deny Christ when we worship the god of ourselves, our career, our good works, and our bodies. Christ, in His omnipotence and omniscience, is pleased to use us, mere creatures, for His glory and His work. Thanks be to God that He uses us! We have the honor of being members of the Church of Christ! We have the unique privilege of sharing Christ with others! The honor of being heirs of eternal life is ours!
Lastly, we see that Peter was called to action. After he fell, he was built up again by Christ and went boldly proclaiming Christ and His kingdom. He didn’t return to his old life, but his life was completely transformed. So too, for us, we cannot just go through the motions of this life, barely edging by. We must go through being changed, knowing that we are representatives of a better kingdom, of precious treasures. We must go through life knowing that the God of heaven and Earth and every single thing in them is interceding for us and planned everything that was, that is, and that will be. He knows our struggles and what a powerful tool that is for us every second of every day!
“Salvation’s joyful song is heard Where’er the righteous dwell; for them, God’s hand is strong to save and doeth all things well. I shall not die, but live and tell the Wonders of the Lord; He hath not given my soul to death, but chastened and restored.”
By Sam Baker
Young Calvinists 