Mark 14
In the movie, "Son of God" I appreciated what they did with the denial of Peter. First, they have Peter sincerely declare there is no way possible for a denial from his lips. Then Peter takes on the whole Temple Guard as they come to arrest Jesus. He launches his attack with a fishing knife. Peter then follows Jesus back to the temple in a demonstration of brave allegiance. Up to this point, Peter is going to prove them all wrong.
But before these courageous steps Peter missed something very significant. It happened in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus asked Peter and two others to pray with him. Perhaps because Peter was so confident in himself, he did not pray. There is nothing wrong with self-confidence, so long as we realize that we are always dependent upon God.
During that prayer meeting Jesus had an intense struggle. The struggle was so great that he shed drops of blood. Had I been there in that hour of Jesus' agony and watched the way he suffered. I would have despaired for the future. I would have said, "If Jesus is behaving this way when all he's doing is praying, what in the world is he going to do when he faces a crisis? It's too bad he can't be like his three sleeping friends. They found a spiritual peace in the midst of the storm. "
But when the real crisis came, Jesus went to the cross and triumphed. It was Peter who failed and denied the Lord. That is why prayer is critical to our lives. For without prayer there is no victory. Peter's failure taught him how important prayer was.
I confess to you that I have had a life-long battle to maintain a fervent, vibrant prayer life. Over the years my success in prayer has been more intermittent than persistent.
Yet, when I read the gospel accounts, I discover that in the ministry of Jesus prayer was absolutely crucial. Jesus was on a whole different level than where I am. For me prayer is preparation for the battle. For Jesus prayer was the battle itself. Peter learned a great lesson in his denial. There is no victory without prayer. May we all learn from his example.
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