I hear the familiar sound of Door County Black Velvet Coffee brewing in the kitchen. I am thinking that I should move the coffee maker next to the desk for convenience.
The picture below is one of the many antiques that grace our kitchen. It is an old flour sifter and combination measuring cup.
The device is used to measure flour and sift it finely, thus avoiding lumpiness in the dough. The sifter is cranked and forces the flour through a screen and into a bowl. That flour is more than strained.
Luke 22:31-32New King James Version (NKJV)
31 And the Lord said,“Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”
We see in the Scripture above that Jesus is telling Peter that Satan has asked to sift him like wheat. What does that mean for Peter? What does that mean for us today? John Piper writes
"What does Satan aim to do? What does "sifting like wheat" refer to in real life? The best clue comes in the next sentence where Jesus says, "But I prayed for you that your faith fail not." Satan aims to sift Simon and the others like wheat. Jesus aims to keep Simon's faith from failing. So probably "sifting like wheat" means doing something to make the disciples' faith fail.
We can imagine a picture like this: Satan has a big sieve with jagged-edged wires forming a mesh with holes shaped like faithless men and women. What he aims to do is throw people into this sieve and shake them around over these jagged edges until they are so torn and weak and desperate that they let go of their faith and fall through the sieve as faithless people, right into Satan's company. Faith cannot fall through the mesh. It's the wrong shape. And so as long as the disciples hold to their faith, trusting the power and goodness of God for their hope, then they will not fall through the mesh into Satan's hands.
Therefore the sifting of Simon Peter and the others is Satan's effort to destroy their faith. And this remains Satan's main goal today. It is relatively unimportant to Satan whether we are healthy or sick, rich or poor; what he wants is to sift out our faith. If he can do it by suffering, he will try that; if he can do it by wealth, he will try that. Peter learned a good lesson that night. Some 30 years later he wrote in 1 Peter 5:8, 9: "Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. Resist him firm in your faith." Jesus pictured Satan as a farmer shaking Christians in his sieve, trying to tear them apart from their faith. Peter pictures Satan as a lion who can devour anything but faith. The only person that can fit through Satan's sieve is an unbeliever. The only thing that will fit down the lion's throat is an unbeliever. This is the victory that overcomes Satan's sieve and Satan's throat, our faith (1 John 5:4). If we hold it fast to the end, Satan cannot destroy us. That's why John writes to the church of Smyrna in Revelation 2:10: "
Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death and I will give you the crown of life.Yes, God does allow us to be sifted, but if we hold steadfast in our faith, our faith grows stronger. When our faith grows stronger, those who were once weak now become the encourager. Peter was used through his sifting to encourage us through his writing. There is purpose behind the sifting.
So if today you need encouragement because your faith is being tested, look up to the Author and Finisher of your faith. As in Peter's case, Jesus is interceding for you with prayer.
Hang in there.
Marty
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