“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as 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, NIV)
Did you know that Satan will ask to sift you as wheat? He will ask God if he can shake up your life! And God says yes. (see also, Job 1:1-12)
Did you also know that Jesus prays for you? He prays for your faith ahead of time. He knows that you will slip away a little...but he also knows that you will come home to him. Jesus said in this passage: “And when you have turned back,” not “if you turn back” but WHEN. The best part is that despite the fact that we have turned away, He allows us to do his work when we turn back. He says: “Strengthen your brothers.”
How cool is that?! There is a purpose in the sifting. God loves us enough to make sure that we will not fall away completely. Even though we get shaken up in the sifting, He is sure that we WILL turn back--just as Peter did after he denied that he knew Jesus. And when we do turn back, he expects us to strengthen our brothers. We don’t need to earn any trust or love back. He wants us to get straight to work, strengthening others in the faith.What grace. What love. What mercy. What faithfulness.
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