Page 64 - Living Light Spring 2024

Wednesday May 15 - Our ever-present help
“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat.” Luke 22:31
“Shore up your defences!” A praying friend sensed God had those words for me, and she encouraged me to gather a few trusted friends to pray for me and our family. To be honest, I felt some fear at her statement. What would this mean, I wondered – that we particularly needed prayer? Would we face some strife and hardship that I’d really rather not experience, thank you very much?
Her message ended up being sound, and over time I expressed gratitude and wonder at the way the people who prayed for us helped us to receive God’s love, protection, and grace. We felt jolted out of a sense of complacency as, moment by moment, we relied on God. In a small way I could certainly relate to Peter, about whom we read in this passage.
Jesus highlighted Simon Peter as the representative of the disciples when he said that Satan had “asked to sift all of you as wheat.” As a fallen angel Satan has only the power granted to him by God, and although he would soon wreak havoc among Peter and the disciples, he wouldn’t ultimately win. The evil one could not crush them completely.
We can trust that, whatever storms and trials we face, God’s love goes before us and comes behind us. We know that our ever-present Lord will never leave us!
Lord, please limit the work of the evil one in my life. Help me to look to you for help and hope in every situation. Amen.
Thursday May 16 - The prayers of Jesus
“But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when
you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” Luke 22:32
Jesus knows the hearts of his followers, foibles and all. He understands that Simon Peter will soon betray him; that Peter’s over-confident promises will be blown away like chaff in the wind. And yet he loves Peter deeply. Jesus – the King of Kings – promises to pray for his lowly friend. And even though he knows Peter will falter, he will reinstate him. He calls Peter to share what he’s learned from his failure, in order to strengthen his fellow disciples.
That’s always the case with the Christian faith, isn’t it? We falter; we fail; Jesus picks us up again and welcomes us to share what we’ve learned with others. We aren’t ruled out as those who are untrustworthy. Of course, our sins have consequences, and we must truly repent, often needing a good amount of time to work through why we did what we did. But we don’t lose hope, fearing that we’ll be marked out as useless or beyond redemption.
How might Jesus be praying for you today? I welcome you to spend some time imagining that you’re there with Jesus in this scene after the Last Supper, perhaps playing the role of Peter or one of the friends. How does Jesus look at you? What does he say? How do you respond? Know that Jesus welcomes you home, into his loving embrace.
Forgiving Jesus, strike my heart with love, that I would repent of my wrongdoing and return to you. Amen.
PRAYER FOR TODAY
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PRAYER FOR TODAY