a little perspective

still reading through Matthew and something grabbed my attention the other day that i want to share - from Matthew 16.

its a verse that i have read a million times, love it. but this time i saw it differently.

in v. 21 it says that Jesus started to show his disciples that he would suffer and he would die and then rise again.

and Peter pulls Him aside and basically says - "Jesus, no - may God not allow this to happen to you!" nice, right? just a disciple looking out for his leader...

but Jesus turns and looks right at him and says "Get behind me, Satan. You are a hindrance to me."

?

can you imagine Peter's face at this moment? it seems so harsh. what did Peter do wrong?

but then Jesus goes on to say "For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man."

He didn't necessarily do anything wrong. but in that moment he wasn't focused on God's will. He wasnt trying to see what God was trying to do - he was only focused on what he saw.

and Jesus' response to that was to tell satan to back off.

why? because according to this passage - ignoring God's plan and not seeking to see through His eyes is directly from satan. thats why Jesus doesnt say "Peter, you are doing what satan wants" or "Peter be careful to see what God wants to do - not what you want"

He talks directly to the source.

clearly this is something that is close to God's heart - as He wastes no time in getting to the root of the problem.

and i started to think about all the times that i have not sought God's will - but just focused on what i wanted for my life in a particular moment. or the times that i know God was trying to tell me something - something He wanted me to do that was out of my comfort zone or something that i didnt want to hear for fear it wouldnt fit with my plans......

so many times - not doing anything wrong...but definitely not trying to see God's plans for what they were, even if they might be hard or painful.

Peter just didnt want to hear about his Leader, his Messiah having to suffer and die - totally understandable. but by closing his ears off to the whole truth and not placing his faith in God's plan - he allowed satan to place a stumbling block in his path. sometimes God reveals some hard things to us - not to scare us or overwhelm us, but to prepare us and to reveal His glory to us. all that is required of us is to be open and listen.

so i guess my challenge from this passage would be to strive to be completely open to whatever God is trying to show you...no matter what it is or uncomfortable it may seem. because its His plan, regardless of whether or not it makes sense, and taking our eyes off of that plan and asking for our own agenda causes Jesus to look at us and say "Get behind me, Satan".

and i dont want that for any of us...

when we do that we put ourselves before Him.

and then He can't do anything with us.

lets not ignore any part of what He's trying to show us...and lets not be a hindrance to God's plan, but be a vessel in carrying it out!

-ALIVE