Word@Work 190 - Mark 14:71-72
Published: Mon, 08/18/08
Word@Work from BeaconLight
Read Mark 14:71-72 He began to call down curses on himself, and he swore to them, "I don't know this man you're talking about." Immediately the cock crowed the second time. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken to him: "Before the cock crows twice you will disown me three times." And he broke down and wept. (NIV)
A curse, is a phrase that is designed to bring disaster. To curse oneself (as in the old-fashioned, "Cut my throat and I hope to die"), is to agree to terrible punishment if what we say is untrue. What a mess Peter was in now: trapped by a girl, noticed by the thugs and crowed over by a cockerel. It was that noisy bird that brought him to his senses, or more specifically to the Word of God. Jesus had spoken prophetically about Peter's next 12 hours and declared that a cockerel would denounce his denial.
All the bird did was to be God's alarm clock: to wake Peter up to what Jesus had already said - to bring him to the realisation that Jesus was right and he was wrong. It certainly worked. Peter was devastated. One minute he was in a panic, hunting for self-preservation, and the next he was distraught because he knew he had 'blown it' with Jesus ... and that His opinion mattered more than anybody else's. Big boys do cry if they are honest that they have missed the truth by miles - like Peter.
God's wake-up calls arrive with love - it is neither in His interest nor ours to remain dozy to the truth. The alarms are always by God's timing and demand a response. Like the prophetic calls of the Old Testament, God's Word is designed to bring us back to the priority of His covenant: and we usually need a jolt to let us know that God has spoken. Paradoxically, the Lord often uses failure to help us get the message that we are not what we think we are, and certainly not what we would like to be. It is all a part of His gracious way to bring us back on course before we capsize.
Prayer: Gracious Father. Thank you for chosing to use even my failure to bring me back closer to You. I really value Your wake-up calls. Please help me to respond in ways that will glorify You and enable me to serve you better in the future. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
You can read more of this Bible passage online - in English and other languages - share the Bible with your friends!
A curse, is a phrase that is designed to bring disaster. To curse oneself (as in the old-fashioned, "Cut my throat and I hope to die"), is to agree to terrible punishment if what we say is untrue. What a mess Peter was in now: trapped by a girl, noticed by the thugs and crowed over by a cockerel. It was that noisy bird that brought him to his senses, or more specifically to the Word of God. Jesus had spoken prophetically about Peter's next 12 hours and declared that a cockerel would denounce his denial.
All the bird did was to be God's alarm clock: to wake Peter up to what Jesus had already said - to bring him to the realisation that Jesus was right and he was wrong. It certainly worked. Peter was devastated. One minute he was in a panic, hunting for self-preservation, and the next he was distraught because he knew he had 'blown it' with Jesus ... and that His opinion mattered more than anybody else's. Big boys do cry if they are honest that they have missed the truth by miles - like Peter.
God's wake-up calls arrive with love - it is neither in His interest nor ours to remain dozy to the truth. The alarms are always by God's timing and demand a response. Like the prophetic calls of the Old Testament, God's Word is designed to bring us back to the priority of His covenant: and we usually need a jolt to let us know that God has spoken. Paradoxically, the Lord often uses failure to help us get the message that we are not what we think we are, and certainly not what we would like to be. It is all a part of His gracious way to bring us back on course before we capsize.
Prayer: Gracious Father. Thank you for chosing to use even my failure to bring me back closer to You. I really value Your wake-up calls. Please help me to respond in ways that will glorify You and enable me to serve you better in the future. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
You can read more of this Bible passage online - in English and other languages - share the Bible with your friends!
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