That Thy Faith Fail Not

“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

Simon Peter was so outspoken in his dedication to the Lord Jesus that it seems he considered himself to be completely invincible in his determination to follow Christ. However, Jesus knew that Peter would soon deny Him, and His desire was for Peter to survive the spiritual storm that he would soon face. Jesus told Peter that He had prayed that his faith would not fail. The Lord had great plans for Peter’s life. He knew that Peter would eventually preach to great crowds and see many thousands of people receive Christ. But first, Peter would fear for his life because of Jesus’ arrest. He would feel extreme disappointment because of Christ’s death on the cross. He would be confused and bewildered when he heard the news of the Lord’s resurrection. He would become discouraged and disillusioned when he realized that the kingdom of God was not at all what he had imagined it to be. Jesus knew that there was only one ingredient that would bring Peter through that season of testing, and that was his faith. We serve a God Who can do anything, but His actions are often set in motion by our faith. Sometimes the Lord is waiting on us to believe. We will never come to the end of God’s ability unless we first come to the end of our own faith. The Lord wants to work in our lives today, but His work depends on the exercise of our faith.