Sifted As Wheat
For Women By Women
Submitted by Paula Neff
August 23, 2024
Lu 22:31-32 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: 32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.
What a fearful enemy the devil is to believers! We must never forget that we have a spiritual enemy who seeks the downfall of God’s people, especially those in leadership (like Peter). One lesson we see from these verses is that Satan’s ultimate goal seems to be proving that at least some believers will fail under severe testing. Another lesson is that the devil is after our faith. Satan wants to erode our faith and shake us to find weaknesses to exploit. He may use deception, doubt, despair, and division to weaken our faith.
In Bible Times, as wheat or other grain was sifted through a sieve, it was shaken violently, and the impurities that clung to the grain during the threshing process would separate from the good, usable grain.
To be “sifted like wheat” means to be taken apart (“shake someone apart” or “break a person down”). Satan wants to leave us in pieces. He wants to take our faith apart. We need to recognize the power of Satan. He is real and his power is great.
Sifting is obviously a purifying process, separating the bad and useless from the good and fruitful. You may ask, “Why would Satan want to sift Peter, if only good fruit would come from it?” Perhaps Satan hoped Peter’s faith would fail in the sifting. His goal was to crush him and wreck his faith. Truly Satan wants to destroy the faith of every believer.
The sifting process can be hard and painful, BUT Jesus is with us to strengthen us and intercede for us (“I have prayed for thee”). In challenging times, it’s a blessing to remember that Satan’s power to sift us as wheat is limited by Christ’s intercession.
God allows tribulation to come into the life of every Christian for exactly the same reason it came into Peter’s life—to test and strengthen faith. Jesus was confident Peter would make it through this trial – “…and WHEN thou art converted….” When that change took place, Jesus knew, that as a leader, Peter could strengthen others through imparting to them the lessons he had learned.
Is Satan sifting you today? Take heart. Jesus is interceding for you. Keep believing, keep trusting, and keep going. Keep praising and thanking God. Use your situation to strengthen other Christians.
Thought – God uses Satan’s attacks on His children to conform us to Christ.
