Faith After Falling

Faith After Falling

I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. Luke 22:32

PETER FAILED. The bold disciple who declared his undying commitment to follow Jesus even into death backed down when the pressure was on. At crucial moments in Jesus’ arrest and trial, Simon Peter denied even knowing the friend he loved most. And Jesus saw it coming. He told Peter about it in advance, giving him a generous heads-up so he wouldn’t be caught off guard. But Peter was caught off guard anyway, and during his great opportunity to take a stand, he fell.

It’s fascinating, then, that Jesus didn’t pray for Peter to avoid this trial by not denying him in the first place. He plainly told Peter that Satan had asked to sift him like wheat (verse 31). But then he skipped straight to the aftermath: “when you have repented” (verse 32). As the Son of God with all authority in heaven and on earth, he could have said no to Satan’s request. He could have asked the Holy Spirit to strengthen Peter in this critical time and give him the courage to identify with his Lord. Instead, he prayed for Peter in the aftermath of his fall because he knew it would become a catalytic moment in his faith that would stick with him the rest of his life.

Our failures do not define us, but our responses to failure can shape us forever. Your sin does not destroy your faith; God is quite ready to forgive you and move on. But guilt and shame can eat away at you, nagging at you about your unworthiness and weakness, convincing you that you will never be strong in faith or overcome the world of temptations and sins, mocking you for not being like those heroes of faith you’ve read about. Your conscience and the accuser’s voice will try to convince you that you’re disqualified from that kind of life and will never experience such miraculous answers to prayer. For those inner conflicts, Jesus’ words to you are the same as his words to Peter: “I have prayed for you.”

It’s true, you know. He is interceding for you even now (Romans 8:34). Receive restoration and believe the promises he has given you. Rise up in faith, boldness, and power and overcome.

I think that if God forgives us, we must forgive ourselves.