ALREADY COVERED

JESUS prayed for me

And that's all I need to know

For I know to have hope, no matter

What life, at me, does throw.©

********

 

While walking along the mountainous portion of my life path, the words that JESUS spoke to Peter arrested my attention.

Let me tell you how it all came about. As you know, I have been taking my blogging thoughts from the Book of Mark. In Chapter 14:30 of that book, we see where Jesus tells Peter that Peter will deny HIM three times that very night. And when we get on over to verse 72, we see that Peter did indeed deny Christ three times, and that Peter recalled what Jesus had said. He remembered it and wept bitterly. Bless his heart...

But I see JESUS doing what HE is so good at doing, concerning HIS children, forgiving and helping us to forgive ourselves. When we look at chapter 16, verse seven, we see where the angel that appeared to the women gave them specific instructions to go and tell the disciples and Peter that JESUS would go before them into Galilee. (See verse below.)

Mark 16:7

⁷ But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He told you.’” (NASB)

Jesus had Peter in mind because HE had obviously engaged in conversation with the angel regarding Peter. How else do you explain the fact that the angel called Peter's name specifically? JESUS was aware that Peter would do exactly what he did do, and HE told Peter beforehand.  When I did a little bit of a reference on that seventh verse of chapter 16, that led me over to the Book of Luke, Chapter 22:31-32; in those two verses, we see where Jesus told Peter that the adversary desired to sift him like wheat. But then, Jesus gave him some consolation because he told him these words:

Luke 22:31-32

³¹ “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat;

³² but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” (NASB)

JESUS told Peter that HE had already prayed for him that his faith not fail. And HE goes on to tell him that once he has repented, he is to strengthen the other disciples. ("his brothers")

I think that was JESUS' way of letting Peter know from the women via the angel, that yes, you denied ME, but I already knew that was going to happen before it did; now just forgive yourself, and when the disciples come together, you come too. In other words, when you come back to yourself,  get back to where you are supposed to be and use your newfound resolve to strengthen your brothers.

Y'all know that I have often told you that the adversary seems to go after the strongest one in a particular group. When he chose Peter, he chose a leader, and he was trying to him knock him down and out of the faith. But JESUS prayed for him. Now that thought gets me back to my poem above.

Despite this virus with the troubles it brings, I am fine because I have hope because I know that Jesus already prayed for me. Remember this scripture:

John 17:20

Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; (KJV)

In the scripture above, Jesus is praying for HIS disciples, but HE is also praying for us because we believe in HIM through the disciples' word. So, that’s my hope in whatever adverse situation I find myself in. HIS prayer means that he’s already prayed for me before I was born, before all of the trials that I’ve gone through in my life, including this coronavirus time.

So because of JESUS's prayers for us, we can remain strong.

The last thing that I want to share with you this morning is an excerpt from John Piper's book, Christ and the Coronavirus:

The object of hope is future. The experience of hope is present. And that present experience is powerful. Hope is power. Present power. Hope keeps people from killing themselves—now. It helps people get out of bed and go to work—now. It gives meaning to daily life, even locked-down, quarantined, stay-at-home life—now. It liberates from the selfishness of fear and greed—now. It empowers love and risk taking and sacrifice—now.

JESUS prayed for you... Be safe.

 

Walking by faith,

Alma L. Stepping On Carr-Jones