Peter is in the dock.

As in the case of Job, Satan is both the accuser and the prosecutor. In this case, he demands permission to sift Peter like wheat.

And not just Peter. The pronoun you in verse 31 is plural in Greek. That very night, all Twelve Apostles will be shaken in the sieve of Satan – with God’s permission!

This is not virtual reality. Satan will test each disciple at his weakest point. All will stumble and fall (Matthew 26:31; Mark 14:27). All could break faith and be separated from the Lord as chaff is separated from wheat. One will end his life at the end of a rope.

But hold on a minute. The Court is still in session.

After Satan makes his claim, Jesus the Advocate approaches the Bar of Divine Justice. He enters a plea especially and exclusively for Peter. The pronouns you and your are singular in verse 32: I have prayed for you, Peter, that your faith may not suffer a total eclipse.

The test is predetermined. But the outcome is not. Will the apostles survive?

Jesus literally stakes everything on Peter. Will he live up to his name and calling? Will he become a solid rock, or a rolling stone? Will he go the way of faith, or the way of Judas?

This is the trial of Peter. He thinks he is ready. He feels his own strength (Luke 22:33).

But in a little while, he will discover his utter weakness. Before the cock crows, he will deny Christ three times (Luke 22:34). That’s when the sifting of Satan will begin in earnest. When darkness falls, when Peter is reduced to ground zero, he will have to choose between faith and despair.

Remarkably, Jesus believes in Peter, just as God believed in Job (Job 1:8; 2:3). Jesus has no doubt that Peter will receive all the divine help he needs to keep the faith and survive the ordeal: When you, Peter, have turned again, strengthen your brothers (Luke 22:32).

Strength is made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). Until a man knows his own weakness, he knows neither himself nor the strength of Christ.

Peter will know himself better in the morning, when the cock crows. Simon, Simon. So much depends on you. But all depends on Christ. All other ground is sinking sand (Edward Mote).

PrayerWatch

Jesus didn’t tell Peter the reason for the coming attack of Satan, only the certainty of it. Nor did Jesus bind the devil. His response was not to ward off the attack, but to pray for Peter and to warn him before the trial began.

• All spiritual leaders are vulnerable. Dear Shepherd, Jesus is interceding for you right now (Romans 8:34, Hebrews 7:25).
   
  Are you interceding for the leaders on your team? Ask God for discernment and foresight to see the traps that Satan is setting for them. Forewarn them when you can.
   
  Cover them with your prayers: Lord Jesus, I thank You for each leader on my team and the flock under our care. Much is at stake. Bind us together as one: Battle-ready. Discerning. Watching each other’s backs. Withstanding the wiles of Satan. Outwitting his designs. Hacking his devices. Exposing his lies. Quenching his fiery darts. Resisting his temptations.
   
  In the authority of Your name, we nullify all demonic plots to confuse us. We overcome Satan by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony (Revelation 12:11).
   
• Leaders on the frontline are the most vulnerable. Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered (Zechariah 13:7). Bishops, Senior Pastors, Pastors-in-charge, Elders, Moderators, or whatever they are called, are the prime targets of the enemy. And sometimes for reasons veiled to us, God allows Satan to give them a severe thrashing.
   
  They need our prayers more than our well-meaning advice. Pray: Lord Jesus, You are the Chief Shepherd. We are the sheep of Your pasture. Thank You for giving us shepherds after Your own heart. Forgive us for making life difficult for them. We’ve criticised them more than we’ve prayed for them. Sometimes we join Satan in weighing them down with our unrealistic expectations. We wear them out with our incessant complaints.
   
  We’re sorry. We repent. Prompt us, burden us, to stand with You in the gap, interceding for them. Whatever severe testings You allow to come their way, we pray that their faith will not fail (1 John 5:4-5). Strengthen them so that they in turn may strengthen others who are in the throes of battle.
   
• Dear Leader, forewarned is forearmed. In God’s sacred school of brokenness, the curriculum goes on all the time. Sometimes God crushes His servants, cuts us down to size so that in a spirit of genuine weakness, brokenness, and humility, we are able to minister to others (Charles Swindoll, adapted).
   
  Leadership crucibles come in many shapes and sizes. Prepare to be crushed and tested.
   
  Peter thought he was ready, but he wasn’t. Are you ready for the sifting of Satan? He is crafty. He will test you at your weakest point.
   
  Get ready. Fast. Watch. Pray together with confidants. Acknowledge your vulnerability. Keep your eyes on Jesus, being confident of this that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion (Philippians 1:6).

Read the devotional from Day 18, July 18: Footwash here.