I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not
fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers (Luke 22:32).
In Jesus’ familiar
pre-denial encounter with Peter, the Savior’s prayer is not that Peter won’t
deny him, but that Peter’s faith will not fail. There is a time when our pride
is cracked – painful, no doubt, but an incomplete brokenness that draws us into
ourselves – leading to bitterness and rejecting offers of help. Then there is
pride completely crushed by our own failure, when we can no longer pretend we
can handle things on our own. Though both are probably God-ordained, the former
is just one stop on a downward spiral; the latter puts us right where God wants
us.
This brokenness,
where pride is shattered – what Jesus in
the Beatitudes refers to as being poor in spirit (Matthew 5:3) – leaves us nothing to stand
on, empty and helpless, with no bargaining chips; our only hope to throw
ourselves on the mercy of God.
That’s the kind of
brokenness Peter is headed for, the kind of brokenness he needs. Pride
demolished by failure is a gift God can use 1) to dethrone self; 2) to give God
his rightful place; and 3) for ministry to others.
Christ’s prayer is
that when Peter’s pride is shattered, his faith will somehow hold on, and
drawing strength from God he will rise once more to his feet, and use his
brokenness to strengthen his brothers.
TODAY’S MEDITATION
Is pride a problem in your
life? What would pride being shattered – not just cracked – look like in your
life? Do you trust God enough to let him at it?
No comments:
Post a Comment