Luke’s account of the events leading up to Jesus’ arrest moves quickly, but Luke tells us something the other Gospel writers do not. Jesus said, “I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers.”
Jesus knows that Peter denying him is going to cause a crisis of faith. Jesus knows that while he is hanging from the cross, Peter will be tempted to fall into complete despair. And Jesus also knows that Peter will have to choose not to agree with the lies Satan will be whispering in his ear about his betrayal. So, Jesus prays that Peter would not give into the temptation of despair and shame.
So often when we make a mistake, big or small, no one beats us up quite like ourselves, and we do that to protect ourselves from making that mistake again. But have you ever considered that continuing to beat yourself up is actually disagreeing with God’s will for you? That what God actually desires for you is to say yes to the rich and satisfying life he died to give you—not that you do the enemy’s work for him by reminding yourself of your failure.
This isn’t an easy task, but Jesus demonstrates that praying for the protection of our hearts and asking God to strengthen us as we face temptation—those prayers have power. Those prayers truly protect us and those prayers might be the exact thing that allow us to experience abundant life after a major misstep.
Reflection:
- Is there something for which you need to forgive yourself? Why do you suppose you have struggled to accept forgiveness?
- Is there something for which you need to forgive someone else? It’s possible that holding onto unforgiveness for someone else is preventing you from forgiving yourself.
- Ask God for his help. We believe Jesus died so we would have life, and it’s life on this side of eternity as well. Claim that promise for yourself today.