Peter had said he was willing to die for Jesus, and he meant it. When the army came to arrest Jesus, Peter pulled a sword and attacked. But Jesus also said Peter would deny Him three times, and he did. Why the sudden change from the dedicated warrior to the cowering liar? Peter’s crisis of faith came from confusion. He thought when the army came that Jesus would fight back and come into His glory. Instead, he told Peter to put away his sword, and He let the army take Him. Peter didn’t know what to think. His understanding of God’s plan had been destroyed. God wasn’t doing what Peter thought He was, and in his confusion, Peter crumbled.
We are often confident and striving forward in faith when we think we know what God is doing, but when God doesn’t do what we thought He would, we wonder about our faith. We wonder if we were wrong to trust Him. When we don’t know what God is doing, we must remember who He is. Our trust lies not in our understanding of God’s plan, our faith is based on who God is. Even when we have no idea what He is doing, we know that what He is doing is the absolute best, even the absolute best for me.
How have you handled things when God didn’t do what you thought He would? How will respond differently the next time? Ask the Lord to build your faith in Him.