Jesus promised Peter something every repentant believer craves—another chance (Luke 22:31-34). After telling him Satan would sift him as wheat, Jesus reassured Peter that He had prayed that his faith would not fail. Although Peter had insisted he would never forsake Him, Jesus said he would deny Him three times before dawn. In expectation of Peter’s restoration, Jesus recommissioned him for future ministry: “When you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren” (v.32).
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In the summer of 1992, a fire blackened 4,500 acres of forest about 35 miles north of Atlantic City. One homeowner saw a fireball with 60-foot flames come roaring up across the street from his house, before veering away. The Associated Press quoted him as saying, “I’ve worked 25 years of my life here. The thought of having it gone in 10 minutes makes you want to stay for the last possible minute.”
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Every year thousands of letters addressed to God find their way to a post office in Jerusalem. One letter, addressed to “God of Israel,” requested assistance in getting a job as a bulldozer driver. Another said: “Please help me to be happy, to find a nice job and a good wife—soon.” One man asked forgiveness for stealing money from a grocery store when he was a child.
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People who have given up on love probably agree with the words to the song “Lemon Tree” by the folk group Peter, Paul, and Mary:
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A pastor was asked to call on a woman in a psychiatric hospital and pray for her. After his visit, he thought how good it would be for somebody to go there regularly and pray for the residents. The “somebody” turned out to be him. On a table in one of the wards, he put up a sign saying “Free Prayer.” Later he recalled, “Suddenly I had 15 people standing in line to get prayed for.”
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A social worker told her colleagues about a young boy in an urban ghetto who appeared to be little more than a bit of twisted human flesh. He had been struck by a car several months before and had not received proper medical attention.
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A Harvard Business School professor wrote an open letter to the nation’s graduates. He told them that in one sense they needed to forget what they had learned in school. He said that schools tend to put too much emphasis on the idea that success comes as a result of passing tests. The professor pointed out that in the workplace doing well depends largely on learning to succeed in what he called a “web of relationships”—the ability to cooperate with others and function as an effective team.
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An executive of the world’s largest toymaker said, “We are such a machine in terms of what we deliver on an annual basis that it doesn’t allow time to think.”
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Life-changing events do not happen by accident. They are not determined by the stars. They are not by chance. There is no such thing as chance. The Lord uses every situation in life to accomplish His purposes.
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A sportswriter described former major league baseball player and manager Don Baylor as a person who always remembered how it felt to be “sent down” to the minor leagues. When one of his players had to be demoted, he would always meet with him to explain the decision. A team owner said of Baylor, “He has been through a lot of life lessons he can share with the players.” It makes a big difference when the manager knows how a player feels.
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