God’s Not Done With You Yet

We may tend to think of people in the Bible as other-worldly beings with gold-plated halos. Yet actually they were normal people like we are today—people who were used by God despite their foibles, quirks, and failings.

Peter is a great example. Along with James and John, Peter was one of Jesus’ inner-circle of disciples. He was the first to declare, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16).

In response, Jesus told him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church” (Matthew 16:17-18).

Yet shortly afterward, when Jesus told the disciples that He must suffer and die, Matthew 16:22 records: Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.”

Then Jesus sternly replied, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man” (Matthew 16:23).

And at the Last Supper, Matthew 26:35 records how Peter told Jesus, “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!” But within hours, he denied the Lord three times. Peter’s own strength had failed him utterly.

But he was not disqualified from ministry! God’s great mercy is shown in John 21 when Jesus restored Peter and commissioned him to tend His sheep.

On Pentecost, we see the manifestation of Peter’s transformation as he is filled with the Holy Spirit. He stood before a huge crowd and fearlessly preached the Gospel to some of the very people who had crucified Jesus (see Acts 2:23). He continued his bold leadership of the church, doing miracles in Jesus’ name and obeying what seemed like God’s radical call to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles.

So imagine the horror of the believers when Herod arrested Peter, intending to kill him as he had just killed James.

You would think that Peter would be frantic with worry. However, Acts 12:6 tells us, "On that very night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains". We can only surmise that Peter had such staunch faith in the resurrected Jesus that death no longer scared him, because he later wrote, "[Cast] all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you (1 Peter 5:6-7). In fact, that night in Herod’s dungeon, Peter was sleeping so soundly that an angel had to strike him to wake him up and set him free!

And when he went to find the believers, a servant girl named Rhoda was so stunned at Peter’s arrival that she left him standing at the gate. And those believers who were praying so earnestly for him showed a remarkable lack of faith when they told Rhoda in Acts 12:15, “You are out of your mind. … It is his angel!”

Peter continued exercising leadership in the newborn church, writing two epistles that inspire us today. In these letters, which we call First and Second Peter, he often talked about mercy and grace. Why? He had personally experienced these priceless gifts from God, who did not give up on him when he failed.

And God will not give up on us, either! Let’s turn to Him today, confess our shortcomings, listen to His voice in our hearts assuring us of His mercy and love, ask Him to fill us anew with His Holy Spirit, and then walk forward into the future with the absolute assurance that we have God’s unmerited favor and anointing to share His love with the world.

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Scripture is quoted from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®). ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.