by Crystal Bustamante

Created on: May 05, 2009

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 are converted, strengthen thy brethren. (Luke 22:31-32)

This verse is especially interesting to me because of what it implies. Peter was one of the disciples closest to Jesus. He was present on the Mount of Transfiguration (one of only three disciples present). He was one of three disciples chosen by Jesus to go with him when he raised Jairus' daughter for the dead. He walked on water to go to Jesus. He was zealous for the cause of Christ. Even in the next verse, he was eager to proclaim his loyalty in spite of what Jesus was saying: "And he said unto him, Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death (Luke 22:33)."

Basically, what I am saying is that Peter was the one that was eager to follow Christ; he wanted to be involved in everything, prove his love at every moment. What can I do for God today? Where can I go to share His love? What can I say? I am familiar with this feeling. It is the feeling of wanting to be loyal to Christ and to contest anything that would prove that you are not. The problem with this feeling is that it is a surface feeling; it has no depth and can withstand no test or trial.

It is a faith that causes you to walk on water, but when the winds of opposition blow you begin to sink and lose focus of what is the real purpose in the present moment. It is the faith that says: "I will go with thee, both into prison, and to death," but in the face of death it says "I don't even know him."

At this moment, Peter hadn't fully learned to depend on God. It wasn't that he wasn't sincere, he was; he was just misguided. He couldn't be fully dedicated to Jesus' cause or fully committed to what Jesus represented, because he didn't fully understand that. This moment of failure brought to Peter's eyes the weaknesses of his own heart, as did the resurrection the realization of what the cause of Christ really was. I find in my own life that only when I look past the surface of my loyalty and dedication and see what Jesus sees (something only done through prayer and time spent with Him), I begin not only to see my weaknesses but His strengths and I am transformed into His image.

But I love this verse not just because it was a pivotal moment in Peter's life or because it reminds me of moments in my own life, but because Jesus knew the heart of Peter and when he looked at Peter

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