Imagine what was going through the mind of Peter as he followed, at a distance, to the High Priest’s courtyard [Matthew 26:58]. “This cannot be happening”, he must have thought. “The Lord surely has a plan in all of these. He surely cannot be helpless. Or, can He be? I have seen him walk right through the crowd, when they thought they had him cornered. [Luke 4:28-30]”
“He sure can save himself from this. Can’t He? Well I am not
going to miss out of the action,” he must have told himself. “There must be a
hidden agenda in all of these.” So you can imagine the circumstances under
which Peter was challenged on his relationship with Christ. [Luke 22:54-62;
John 18:15-27] He surely knew what he was saying when he told the Lord, he would
never deny him. [Matthew 26:31-35] However, the ground under him had changed.
The foundation of his belief was being challenged. His whole
world was being turned upside down. The thing he based his faith and life on
was being questioned. His faith was being shaken. He was not sure where he
stood again. He was looking for something to hold on to. He was waiting,
howbeit with shaky feet and shaky hands.
Have you ever been in such a place before, or could you
possibly be there right now? Have you ever been where all your support systems and
mechanisms were either gone, or questioned? Have you ever been brought to the
end of yourself? Have you tried to rest on a “wall” that hitherto gave you
support, but found it no more there? How did it make you feel? Have you been
through those times of life when it seemed like God was not there? God was
silent. How did you pull through? What did you learn from such?
In dying, He showed us the life-giving benefit of death. For
to truly live, we must first die to self and all that limits us. In dying, He
took our place, that in living we might live unto Him. [2 Corinthians 5:14;
Galatians 2:20] Is that a reflection of your life? Did you die with Him? Or,
are you still so much alive to yourself?
Here is wishing you a Sober Good Friday. Let us do this is
remembrance of Christ. He is our victory.
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