Sifted Like Flour
By Elin Henderson
“And the Lord said, ‘Simon, Simon! Indeed Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But, I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.’”
Luke 22:31-32 (NKJV)
By Elin Henderson
“And the Lord said, ‘Simon, Simon! Indeed Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But, I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.’”
Luke 22:31-32 (NKJV)
There is a common joke among
missionary women. I call it the phases of “becoming.” Phase 1: You find bugs in
your flour, completely freak out, and promptly throw out the entire bag. Phase
2: You are still freaked out by the bugs but you have learned that you can
carefully sift the flour and get them out. Phase 3: You move past serious
sifting and just look for the major bugs and pick them out by hand. Phase 4:
You have “become” and you see the bugs and say, “Good, bugs! More protein!” and
just leave them in there.
God uses Satan to sift us and remove the bugs in our lives! Satan came asking for Peter and God said, “Go ahead, have at it.” We see this with Job in the book of Job and with Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10. And, interestingly enough, it isn’t always through the victories that we win. It isn’t always in the overcoming that we grow, but sometimes in our failure, as well. “When you have returned to me,” Jesus says to Peter, indicating that He wasn’t necessarily walking with the Lord all the time in His trial of sifting.
But, Christ gave him two wonderful promises that are reflected in our own relationship with Christ as well: The first and most significant is Christ prays for us when we are in process of being sifted…“But, I have prayed for you, that your faith will not fail.” We are not alone, despite how we feel. Satan is only given so much “rope,” so to speak, and no more. We are God’s and He watches over us. Christ prays for us and the Father knows our limits. The second promise is that when it is over, we will be able to strengthen, encourage and comfort others with what we have learned…”But, when you have returned to me, strengthen your brethren.” What a privilege to be able to show compassion and love to others in their time of need.
So, next time you feel like you are being tossed to and fro in Satan’s sifter, remember that you are prayed for and when you come out of it, you will be strengthened in your confidence in the Lord, able to encourage and support others in a deeper way…and hopefully with a few less bugs!
God uses Satan to sift us and remove the bugs in our lives! Satan came asking for Peter and God said, “Go ahead, have at it.” We see this with Job in the book of Job and with Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10. And, interestingly enough, it isn’t always through the victories that we win. It isn’t always in the overcoming that we grow, but sometimes in our failure, as well. “When you have returned to me,” Jesus says to Peter, indicating that He wasn’t necessarily walking with the Lord all the time in His trial of sifting.
But, Christ gave him two wonderful promises that are reflected in our own relationship with Christ as well: The first and most significant is Christ prays for us when we are in process of being sifted…“But, I have prayed for you, that your faith will not fail.” We are not alone, despite how we feel. Satan is only given so much “rope,” so to speak, and no more. We are God’s and He watches over us. Christ prays for us and the Father knows our limits. The second promise is that when it is over, we will be able to strengthen, encourage and comfort others with what we have learned…”But, when you have returned to me, strengthen your brethren.” What a privilege to be able to show compassion and love to others in their time of need.
So, next time you feel like you are being tossed to and fro in Satan’s sifter, remember that you are prayed for and when you come out of it, you will be strengthened in your confidence in the Lord, able to encourage and support others in a deeper way…and hopefully with a few less bugs!
GOING DEEPER:
1. What kind of “sifting” have you endured in your life?
2. Who do you know who is facing something similar? How can you encourage that person?
1. What kind of “sifting” have you endured in your life?
2. Who do you know who is facing something similar? How can you encourage that person?
FURTHER READING:
Luke 22:54-62; 1 Corinthians 1:3-5, 10:13; 1 Peter 4:13,
5:10; 1 John 5:18-19
Oakwood’s missionaries Elin Henderson (a registered nurse) and her husband Phil serve as church planters with New Tribes in Mozambique, Africa. Elin is mother to sixteen-year-old Callie and fourteen-year-old Elias.
Oakwood’s missionaries Elin Henderson (a registered nurse) and her husband Phil serve as church planters with New Tribes in Mozambique, Africa. Elin is mother to sixteen-year-old Callie and fourteen-year-old Elias.
