Sifting

“The bottom line in here today, as we’ve unpacked this text, the question is: Do you trust Him? Do you trust Him as the loving Father? Because what’s going to come out is whether you do or don’t. What’s going to come out in your prayer life, in your emotions when it comes to the God of the universe is: Do you really trust and believe He’s good, that He’s the good Father? I’m not pretending for a moment that you’ve got to understand it. I would never put that weight on you. I don’t think the Scriptures put that weight on you. I’ve been in plenty of rooms where there is no understanding to be had, none; and years later there’s no understanding. I’m not saying you have to understand, I’m saying you have to trust that He’s good, that He could have stopped it or started it if He willed. But for some reason in His providence, in His beautiful, glorious, overflowing providence, if He did, it would hurt, wound or derail Him bringing all things new. And there will be this day where it makes sense, probably not while we’re breathing this oxygen, but there will be a day where all of it makes sense.”- Matt Chandler


To Sift: to pass a substance through a sieve to separate out or break up coarse particles

"Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers." Peter said to him, "Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death." Jesus said, "I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day, until you deny three times that you know me."
Luke 22

I heard the testimony today at the baptism of a man in our community who has gone through alot of sifting. The loss of his little boy in a car accident, a failed marriage, consequences of poor choices, losses of jobs- everything we cling to as "enough" in our world and society. Relationships, children, money, etc. Nothing had been left unaffected. The most powerful part as I was listening was at the end of his testimony- hearing him talk of how he had come back to the Lord a few months ago- but today as he stood there getting ready to be baptized, he made a comment how he still wasn't financially stable, his marriage was still lost, his little boy still gone, and he was living with friends- but yet he stood up there and said "Even if I go through all of this alone- I have God and I have Jesus- and thats enough!"

This morning I got up and read this passage in Luke 22, and as familiar of a passage as I thought this was, had never caught some of the most important words in this section."Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat."It referenced back to the passage in Job where Satan demanded to have Job and test his faithfulness to the Lord when things in his world were taken from him. Here is Satan going before the Lord- demanding to have Peter and the disciples to sift them. You can imagine the conversation.
“Let me have Peter. You put the pressure on him and he’s going to fail you in a second!”
Or bring it closer to our own hearts. “Let me have her. Sure, she worships and says she loves you. She has everything she could need or want. But you take away what’s closest to her heart- you mess with that one place- and she’ll turn her back on you. Oh, maybe she’ll stick with you a few days, or weeks, or months, but you make that into years and she’ll forget you.”
And Jesus looks Peter right in the eyes and says “And you Peter- I have prayed for you that you would not fail me completely.”

Jesus has interceded before the throneroom on behalf of Peter. He knew Satan’s demands on Peter- he knew that the Lord would grant Satan the rights to sifting Peter. He knew exactly what would be allowed to come into Peter’s life. And while he knew exactly what Peter’s response was going to be- he still prayed, interceded, that Peter would not fail completely. Because He knew it would be for Peter's good. By passing Peter through this- it was going to reveal some heart issues- it was going to sift out some things that needed to go.

Sometimes sifting doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. It’s very painful. It’s a lot of long nights, clinging to the promises we know should be true even when we don’t feel them. And over and over in my life it comes back to the same question “Do I trust Him? Do I believe He’s good?” And through the sifting in my life- the answer to this comes out very clearly. And its humbling to often see my response is that I don’t really trust Him or believe this.
As I heard the testimony of this man- as he spoke of seeing his little boy die in a hospital and begging the Lord not to take him- I don’t think there’s any way he understood that sifting. He might never “get it.” But I watched him raise his hands from that water and praise Jesus and cling to the truth that the Lord is really enough. That’s incredible.
I think another question out of this could be- are we found faithful enough to be demanded by Satan to be sifted? The fact that Satan demanded to sift Job and Peter speaks volumes that they were doing something right. I need to be alot more concerned when I feel there's times the Lord "just isn't convicting me" or I don't feel the need for the Cross. Thats not a good place.And through the sifting- Jesus is interceding, bringing us to a place of recognizing our own depravity, bringing us to a place where we repent and turn back to him and open up our hands, trusting that He’s good and that he’s enough- and then he brings the times of refreshment that come from the presence of the Lord.

Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus. Acts 3:19-20