The night before He went to take up the Cross, He and His disciples sat together and had supper as they celebrated the Passover. As the night went on, a fight broke out among the disciples, and they were disputing between themselves who should be considered the greatest. Jesus heard and rebuked them.

Not only that, but Jesus also predicted that the disciples would be scattered that very night on the account of Him (Matthew 26:31). One disciple confidently stood up. It was Peter. He boldly proclaimed that he would not leave Jesus – a prideful proclamation, which us readers would later see, became an empty promise when he denied Jesus three times the very next morning.

One thing that stood out in this story is what Jesus said to Peter. In Luke 22, Jesus warned Peter and said, “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat” (v.31). Such a stern warning coming out of Jesus’ mouth.

But what followed was something remarkable. Jesus then said in v.32, “But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers”.

When we hear the word ‘prayer’, the image that pops up is always about a man praying to their gods. Rarely do we ever think of a god who would pray, let alone of a god who would pray for his people’s faith. It seems unusual, uncanny. But that was exactly what Jesus did for Peter, and it is what Jesus does for His people.

What can we learn from this?

He is a personal and relational God

As Christians, we may have been told numerous times that God is King, Father, Teacher, Deliverer, Helper, and many other things. But have you ever wondered what these titles tell us about Him?

They teach us that God is personal. A personal god basically means that our God has a sense of self. He is not an abstract force or energy. Instead, our God has thoughts, feelings, desires, and personality. Us humans, being made in the image of God, essentially reflect that personal nature of God, except God has all these attributes without the blemishes of sins.

God is also relational. Before He created the universe, our God the Trinity – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit – was already in a loving and everlasting relationship with one another.

When He created the world, God communicated with Adam and Eve on a regular basis before the fall. Even when man fell into sin, we see various moments where God said He wanted to establish relationships with His people (i.e.: Genesis 17, Ezekiel 34, Hosea 2).

So, when we hear that He prays for His people’s faith, it aligns with His character as a personal and relational God. If God was just an invisible force devoid of any feelings or thoughts, He would not pray for us. If He did not care about having a relationship with His people, He would not pray for us. Rather, He would demand us to redeem ourselves, if we want to be saved.

The fact that He prays for us should astonish us, because it really reveals not only His grace and mercy, but His patience for His children, who are prone to repeatedly fall into sins.

Grace is the antidote to our arrogance and self-reliance

The revelation that God prays so that our faith will not fail should rebuke us and humble us.

Indeed, doctrinally, we may know that we are saved by grace through faith (Eph 2:8-9). But what about practically? Do your daily lives reflect a person whose lives have been saved by grace?

For me at least, I fail a lot in this aspect. Yes, I know that I am saved by grace. But often times, I would be working hard to ‘work out my salvation’. I’d work hard for my study, ministry, and relationships, unconsciously thinking that I should sustain my own faith.

Just like Peter, I often turn to God and said, “Lord, it’s okay, I can do it!”. I promise to God things beyond my capacity and limit, thinking that God is the one who needs my help. And also, just like Peter, most of the time, I fail.

So Jesus’ word to Peter in v.31-32 is a word of comfort. Because in our sinfulness, in our arrogance and pride, God does not abandon us. In our failure, He does not forsake us. Instead, even in our good or bad times, God intercedes for our faith.

If our faith still stands firm until this very moment, it is a reminder that it is not our work. Rather, it is because of God’s prayer, for He has prayed that our faith will not fail. We may stumble, but God will not let us fall, because He upholds our hand (Psalm 37:24).

Strengthen your brothers

And finally, the final line unravels a purpose, and a call to action for all of us. It is remarkable that we have a God who prays for our faith. But here, Jesus does not teach us to just stop at being grateful.

Instead, He calls us to do one thing: “When you have turned back, strengthen your brothers”.

Just like ourselves, our brothers and sisters often struggle in their journey of faith. They too, may experience unfruitful seasons where they stumble and fail. And Jesus tells us to look around, see those brothers and sisters in need, and strengthen them. I believe that one of God’s purposes for our struggles and failures is so that we could strengthen our brothers and sisters who go through the same struggles (2 Corinthians 1:4).

Isn’t it interesting that Jesus asks Peter (and us) to do this? If He could pray for all His people, why should we reach out to others? It’s a reminder that we are the body of Christ, and the body of Christ can only function well if all parts of the body function well.

Just like our bodies, all its interconnected organs and tissues interact and rely on each other. When, for example, I accidentally cut myself when cooking and my finger starts to bleed, the blood cells will rush to the wound to stop the bleeding, fight the infection, and recover. We as Christians do not walk the journey of faith alone, but God has given us each other to support, exhort, and at times, rebuke one another.

But this call for action also teaches us that our experiences of grace should not be kept private. Instead, it reminds us that those who have experienced the grace of God, will naturally be motivated to seek others and bring others to experience the same grace.

Whatever season that you are in right now, it is a comfort to know that we have a God who’s been praying for our faith, so that we can continue to stand firm in this life. I pray that this revelation will lift away the burdens of self-reliance off of you, and that it may instead bring you to come to God, for He is the One who sustains our faith.