02172024 Trial of Faith - Peter

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of our gracious, patient, and forgiving God. I think this will be the last of my mini-series on trials of faith.

The Israelites struggled in their faith as they wandered in the wilderness. In spite of the astounding events of the exodus, most of them struggled when their faith was tested (I Corinthians 10:1-11). This sounds too familiar. Haven’t we all had times of God’s dramatic intervention in our lives? I’ve even said, “After that experience, I will never have reason to doubt again.” If we think we are immune to struggles of faith, the passage detailing Israel’s failures goes on to caution us: “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall” (v. 12).

Are there certain groups of people who are immune to struggling or falling? What about someone saved out of the most condemning background, rescued so dramatically that any doubt or struggle seems impossible? See Paul in Romans 7. What about someone who habitually lives a righteous life, does all the right things and has an outstanding testimony? That was Job. What about someone with the advantage of growing up in a believing home, firmly grounded in the truth, and influenced by godly mentors? John Mark. What about someone who was searching all his life until he finally found the truth and then embraced it whole-heartedly? Peter. Regardless of our background and experience, it might shock us how quickly we can fall apart in our minds and spirits given the right situation or time of weakness.

Joseph seemed to come through his trial of faith with flying colors, but Abraham and all those mentioned above struggled to greater or lesser degrees. What if we really do fail? Maybe a lot, maybe a little. How do we recover? Peter can be a good example.

Peter’s trial of faith was not lengthy, but it was intense, as he went through that awful night when Jesus was betrayed and tried. It’s hard to imagine a greater fall. Peter had been an outspoken leader among the disciples, yet in a short time, he denied Jesus and soon turned back to fishing. For Peter, fishing was not a Saturday morning diversion; it was his previous occupation, a commercial endeavor involving a ship and a crew.

What made this trial so hard for Peter? I think it was the intensity of the letdown. Imagine Peter’s initial excitement when his brother came and told him, “We have found the Messiah!” (John 1:41). From that moment, Peter was all in, following the Truth he had sought. For Peter, there was nowhere else to go (John 6:68). Jesus was everything to him, and seeing Jesus’ ministry fall apart seemed unthinkable. At the first mention of His impending death, Peter rebuked Jesus, abhorred at the possibility (Matthew 16:22). Peter was the one who vowed to stand alone if necessary in defense of Jesus (Matthew 26:33), to the death if it came to that (Matthew 26:35). If everyone else turned away, Peter vowed to remain faithful (Mark 14:29). When the crisis arose, Peter was the only one bold enough to draw a sword and fight back (John 18:10).

But it all fell apart in spite of Peter’s determination and effort. Jesus was captured, tried, humiliated, and condemned. Peter was devastated by the disappointment, the letdown, and the fear. Following Jesus had been Peter’s life. His dedication and willingness to sacrifice were unmatched. For three years, he had poured everything into an effort that now disintegrated before his eyes in a few short hours. Peter denied Jesus three times, even with cursing, and after the crucifixion, Peter returned to fishing, crushed in his spirit.

How was Peter restored and brought back? It was God’s work, but there are some interesting indicators in Peter’s story.

Peter had immediate sorrow over his failure. When Peter remembered Jesus’ prediction and recognized his unthinkable collapse, he was easily brought to bitter tears (Matthew 26:75).

Peter responded with enthusiasm when he saw Jesus again. He was the first to respond and couldn’t even wait for the boat to get to shore (John 21:7).

Peter started back in obedience in small things. He went to a place where Jesus had told him to go (Matthew 28:16). He pulled in the catch of fish when Jesus told him to (John 21:11). Bigger steps would come, but he started with the simple.

Peter pondered that things might be different than how he had interpreted them, and he allowed for hope (Luke 24:12).

God gave special attention to restoring Peter. He was singled out specially for a message from the angel (Mark 16:7). He received a personal appearance of the risen Christ (Luke 24:34, I Corinthians 15:5).

Peter was willing to be probed by Jesus – three times. This was not comfortable, but he allowed Jesus to speak candidly to his heart (John 21:15-17).

Peter was willing to absorb truth about additional hardship to come. Knowing things would be hard again, he began embracing the idea that he would continue following Jesus anyway (John 21:18-19).

Peter learned caution from his failure. The realizations of his own weakness were sharpened. As he later wrote to the churches, he shared truth about the harshness of Satan’s attacks. In I Peter especially, he urges the readers not to throw away their faith like he almost did. His epistles are filled with concerned cautions, indicating a willingness to learn from his mistakes and to minister to others through them (I Peter 1:13; 2:19-23; 4:7; 4:12; 4:19; 5:8-9; II Peter 1:13-15, etc.).

How do we know Peter was restored again? In Acts, we see Peter fully willing to serve again, even more than before. There are no more unfortunate comments from Peter’s lips, only bold truth. His previous outspoken nature is controlled as he confidently speaks for Christ. He preached powerfully at Pentecost, was a pillar of the early church, was faithfully bold in persecution, and saturated his inspired epistles with guidance and caution for the early church.

Hopefully we don’t have many (or any) total disasters in our faith, but we do mess up in smaller ways every day, and these thoughts about Peter can help us as we strive to stay close to our Savior. They also give us hope. It is possible to actually fall and still be used again. Mercifully, these types of failures are often internal rather than observed by others. Mercifully, God gives second chances. He redeems failures, whether that be Peter, Abraham, Job, John Mark, David, Moses, Samson, or us. God still wants to use us, and He even uses our failures to build toward future ministry. God bless.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA