Sifted

Sifted

Read: Luke 22:31-34

“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat.”

Luke 22:31

“The gem cannot be polished without friction.”

—Anonymous

IN WORD We wonder why we have trials sometimes. Jesus gives us a glimpse of one reason right here. Satan has asked it of Simon Peter. It is quite possible that he asks it of us as well. And this is no polite request; some translations of this verse capture it more strongly: “Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat” (RSV). The enemy of our souls boldly asserts his right to fight to retain what he has long held. We are targeted for sifting by the one we want to leave behind. And Jesus lets him do it.

This verse is rich with implications for us. For example, isn’t it interesting that Jesus gives no indication of having put up a fight for us? Certainly He prayed for Peter, but He apparently did not resist the demand in the first place. Jesus does not say that He prayed for Peter to be spared from the sifting. In fact, He seems quite willing to let it happen, as though Satan is actually doing the bidding of the Lord. What the enemy means for evil, God means for good. He lets the evil one have his way with us—for a time.

IN DEED Nowhere in the Bible does God promise to spare us from temptation. Our faith will be assaulted in numerous ways, and while God is not the author of this, He specifically allows it. The enemy of our souls, the evil one who has held this world in his grip from the early days of creation until now, fights against our trust in God. As he did with Job, he may insist to God that our faith is not genuine because it is not tested. If he can prove that it is not, he can slander the Almighty with his skepticism. God takes him up on the challenge.

Do you ever feel as if all hell is sifting your faith to see what remains? Hang on. You are in a process God has allowed, and that He has also strictly limited. Your sifting will not last. Your faith will, and there will be no chaff to it. Trust God’s sovereignty over the enemy.