This morning as I read my devotional, and as I read the words of Oswald Chambers, it struck me that the life of Peter mirrors our own lives in a powerful way.
In the beginning of Peter's encounter with the Son of God he really didn't know Him for who He was. Jesus called him to follow and Peter did, but in his mind he was following a man, a rabbi, a prophet, and wanted nothing more than to sit at the feet of Jesus.
“And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
Matthew 4:18-19 KJV
Isn't it much the same for us? Even though we have the benefit of knowing from scripture that Jesus is the Son of God, we really don't know what that means... yet in our infancy this knowledge is enough to allow us to answer the call, "follow me."
Then as our faith grows and we have real life encounters through prayer, the answer of prayer, and spiritual experiences of various depths, we come to love Christ and develop a personal relationship with Him. It is now that we find ourselves beginning to dedicate our lives to Jesus, but to do this requires much of us and even as we seek to do so... we are not prepared; we are not ready.
“Simon Peter said unto him, Lord, whither goest thou? Jesus answered him, Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now; but thou shalt follow me afterwards.”
John 13:36 KJV
It is at this tenuous point in our faith that we might be confronted by someone who views our faith negatively. It will be a person who either threatens us or who we wish to impress at all cost, but it will lead us to deny Jesus in either word or action. It might even be through our remaining quiet when we have the opportunity to reveal the gospel to someone because we fear that it might offend.
“And a maid saw him again, and began to say to them that stood by, This is one of them. And he denied it again. And a little after, they that stood by said again to Peter, Surely thou art one of them: for thou art a Galilaean, and thy speech agreeth thereto.”
Mark 14:69-70 KJV
Peter denied Jesus three times before the cock crowed... how many times have we denied Him? How many times have we remained silent when the subject of faith was brought up? How many times have we watched a workmate devastated by some bad news and not offered to pray with them? How many times have we been at a social event and gone along with the crowd for fear of being ostracized? The list goes on and on. Suddenly Peter's denials seem few and we thank the Lord for forgiving him, and us.
Finally, as our faith matures, we begin to see the insignificance of everything that isn't of faith and our following of Jesus. We place ourselves totally in the hands of God and he takes us to His breast and comforts us through His Holy Spirit. At this point in our relationship, we look at Jesus and hear Him say "follow me" once more... but this time we know who He is and what that means.
“Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not. This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me.”
John 21:18-19 KJV
Father, call me to follow you in my youth, and again in the old age of my faith. Lead me between these calls and reveal yourself to me with every breath I take and every prayer I utter. Lord I thank you and praise you always for your provision and forgiveness. I am humbled by my failings but even more by your understanding and ever present love. I am amazed by how you can forgive me after I have denied you, and I gather strength from those instances and learn from them... you are more important to me than a promotion, the affection of others, and if it should be your will... even my own life. Lead me Father, just as you led Peter. Allow me to grow in you and never lift your hand from me. Let me love and praise you always, with every ounce of my being.