Deeper Life #310

And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

—Luke 22:31–32

CHRIST PERMITTED HIS DISCIPLES TO be sifted, for He emphatically stated, “Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you. . . . But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not.” Not “that you do not fall into sin” but “that your faith fail not.”

As a result of that sifting, every one of the disciples suffered from a broken heart. Did you ever notice what John Bunyan in Pilgrim’s Progress calls the “excellency of a broken heart”? The sacrifice which God requires is not “obedience in sacrifice,” but a broken heart. “A broken and a contrite spirit, O God, thou wilt not despise” (Psalm 51:17).

Peter denied with oaths and curses that he ever knew Jesus. That was the supreme point of self-revelation. The other disciples also fell away; and I am sure that when they realized their weakness, they too were broken-hearted.

Prayer Thought: Self-revelation is at times painful, but always helpful. Heavenly Father, I desire to know who I am, for the eternal well-being of my soul.

SUGGESTED READING: Luke 22:31–38