“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.“
John 17:20-21 (NIV)
Jesus prayed for all those who would believe in Him, in the future, which includes each of us today. He prayed for our unity, that we may be one, as He is one with His Father. The unity of His church is essential, since
houses, nations and kingdoms that are divided, cannot stand.
Jesus told Peter that he was about to be sifted, but that He prayed for him. He prayed that his faith would not fail, telling him, “and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.” (Luke 22:32)
I love the confidence Jesus had in Peter, even though he would eventually deny Him and suffer a meltdown. Jesus knew what would happen, but He told him, “when you return to Me, go and strengthen your brothers.”
It wasn’t “if” he returns, only a matter of when. The same hope and confidence that Jesus had in Peter, He also has in us, and our loved ones. The way Jesus prayed for us and for Peter, 2,000 years ago, reveals the relentless love of the Father for all of us today.
Maybe we should have that same hope and confidence when we pray, trusting God for “when” He answers, not “if”. Imagine if we started our prayers saying, “Lord, when you bring victory,” or “when you heal,” or “when you renew my strength”……
how uplifting it is to our faith, just hearing ourselves pray with the confidence of saying when, not if.
Jesus told Peter he would be sifted, but not to worry, because He prayed for him, that his faith would not fail. There’s different kinds of sifting, but the kind that Jesus was talking about, was the separation of chaff from the wheat kernels. Unlike the sifting of flour, it requires much more vigorous shaking to remove chaff from wheat.
After the chaff is removed, the wheat kernels are poured into a new container, and ready for use. We go through hardships that feel like a vigorous shaking, but after the sifting, we are poured into a new phase in our lives. The new container or phase, could lead us to see things from a new perspective, or discover a new way to serve the Lord. Jesus prayed for us, because He believes in each of us, just as He believed in Peter.
After the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, He led the disciples to Pentecost, and a new phase of living in God’s love, forgiven, redeemed, and Spirit filled. God leads us in the same paths.
Sifting is a process of seeing what is left after something had been sifted out or removed. The hope is that whatever remains in the sifter is the faith of His church, purified like gold, and Jesus has confidence in each of us, that it will be so.
The Lord sees everything that is happening or about to happen in our lives. Whatever is shaking us up and testing our faith today, Jesus never leaves us to struggle with it alone. He has prayed for us long ago, and is confident that His prayer and our faith will not fail.
Those periods of sifting may feel like the toughest season in our lives, but through it, we will recognize who we truly are in God’s eyes, how much He loves us, how confident He is in us, and how good His overall eternal purpose is for us all.
Lord, help us to remain close to you, when we are sifted. Purify our faith like gold, and open our hearts to pray like you, and to see new directions that you are leading us in, for our good. Amen
