Today’s Encouragement is, [Jesus said,] “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat. But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail.” Luke 22:31-32a NLT
Pleaded in Prayer –
Jesus pleaded in prayer for Peter! We only have a record of a few of Jesus’ prayers, the Lord’s Prayer, the wonderful extended prayer for the disciples and for us in John 17, and a few others. But here Jesus explicitly states that he has prayed for Peter! Individually!
Now think about this for a minute. (The Hebrew term is selah, which means pause and consider.) Jesus, the Son of God, spoke to His Father God about his follower Peter. And the subject was Peter’s fate, his spiritual condition, and his future. Satan had asked to sift Peter. We don’t know precisely what that would entail, but I am pretty sure I don’t want to go through anything that Satan is in charge of!
Sifting implies filtering and careful processing to ensure there are no clumps, lumps, or impurities present. I can’t understand why Satan would be involved in something like this, but we didn’t receive that information. What we did receive was Jesus’ prayer of protection for Peter and His intervention, His pleading with the Father on Peter’s behalf. He spared Peter from this apparently grueling process of sifting by Satan!
Jesus prayed diligently, pleadingly, for Peter. He pleaded with God for him, because Jesus cares! He cared personally about his friend! Just as He cares personally about you and me.
Father God, thank You for the Love of Jesus, for His compassion, kindness, and mercy. Help us to remember His perfect Love for us. We ask, just as Jesus did, that our faith will not fail.
The Love Of Jesus
Elevation Worship & Darlene Zschech
Today’s Encouragement 