Jesus Is On Your Side
Lauren Gaskill
Today’s Truth
“Simon,
Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed
for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail.” –Luke 22:31-32 (NIV)
Friend to Friend
If
I made a list of all the things I want to thank Jesus for, this
wonderful display of grace would be at the top. I mean seriously, here
Jesus is, about to be abandoned, arrested, persecuted and executed, and
what does He do? He prays for Simon Peter’s faith and assures Him that
even though the waters are about to get stirred up, he’ll pass through
them. The waves will not overwhelm him or obliterate his faith, even if
he might feel like he’s going under.
You want to know what just
wrecks me? Knowing that Jesus, who now sits at the right hand of God and
is interceding for us, has prayed specifically for me, that my faith
may not fail. Consider the fact He’s doing the very same thing for you,
right here and now in this moment. Amazing, right?
Jesus is on
your side. He is with and for you, leading you to move forward through
every trial and tribulation. I know there are times where it might not
feel like it, but it’s the truth. Even when we feel worn out, tired,
hopeless, afraid, abandoned and forgotten, Christ is standing right
beside us. We are not alone in this journey and Jesus isn’t going to let
our faith fail. As John Piper so eloquently put it in a recent sermon,
“God guards his children by preserving and sustaining their faith
himself.”
Our faith may falter and change from season to season,
but we can rest in knowing that God is the One guarding and
strengthening us. Because He who began a good work in us will carry it
to completion until the day of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6).
Hallelujah, Amen. Thank you, Jesus. We don’t have to go it alone.
And
so, when the doctor whispers the diagnosis you never wanted to hear.
When a close friend or family member says they’ve stopped loving you.
When a peaceful vacation turns into a nightmare full of disappointments.
When your employer gives the promotion they promised you to someone
else. When you feel like you’ll never be the man or woman you used to
be. Remember, you are not alone and your faith is not going to fail,
because Jesus is praying for you. Oh, and I am too.
Let’s Pray
Lord,
thank you for guarding and strengthening us in all of our ways. From
season to season, You are the same and You never change and we know we
can have faith in You. Thank you for Your Spirit interceding on our
behalf when we are too weak and don’t seem to have the words to pray. We
love you and thank you and praise you for your goodness.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.