By Pastor Jomo Cousins, PhD
Luke 22:31-32, The Message (MSG)
“Simon, stay on your toes. Satan has tried his best to separate all of you from me, like chaff from wheat. Simon, I’ve prayed for you in particular that you not give in or give out. When you have come through the time of testing, turn to your companions and give them a fresh start.”
In this amazing prayer we see Jesus praying for Simon Peter. Simon Peter was asking to be next to Jesus and that he was ready to go with Jesus, not knowing the true cost of the cross. Though Simon Peter vowed that he would follow Jesus to the end, Jesus was telling him that he would not come through in the moment of truth. Jesus was praying for his faith, praying that his faith would not fail.
For Jesus to identify faith and to pray for faith should give us a great indicator of what we should focus on in our prayer life. Faith is the currency of the Gospel. God is not moved by need, God is moved by faith. So, if you want God to move in your prayer life, you have to be moving by faith. Hebrews 11:6 tells us that “it is impossible to please God without faith.”
It’s amazing to me that Jesus called him Peter in this particular passage, meaning ‘petra’ or ‘rock.’ Jesus was praying for ‘the rock’ in him to stand up in this moment of trial. Jesus also knew that though he would fail, his failure would not be final, for Jesus told him after he came through the trial he was to go and help strengthen his brothers.
Believers, I don’t know your stories, I don’t know your trials or the tribulations that you have been through, but I want you to know, as Romans 8:28 tells us, that “all things work together for good for those who love God and those who are called according to his purpose, plan and design.” God will use all that you’ve been through to help somebody else.
Except from: Prayer Life: The Conversation, Page 314.
