Once again, my affinity for old tools and household items led me to make a small purchase at a peddler’s mall. The teacher/preacher in me causes me to see an ‘object lesson’ in many common items. This was no exception. My vintage treasure was an unusual old flour sifter.
The old sifter sparked a picture in my mind’s eye. I saw the Last Supper. Jesus was warning Simon Peter that a test of faith was coming: “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat” (Luke 22:31, NKJV). In biblical times, wheat or other grain was sifted through a sieve or large strainer. As it was shaken violently, the dirt and other impurities that clung to the grain during the threshing process would separate from the good, usable grain. My small kitchen sifter served a similar purpose; sifting flour used to be necessary to separate out things like bugs or chaff, etc.
The outspoken disciple Peter seemed to be in the same predicament as Job when Satan sought to put him to the test (Job 1:9-12). Satan wanted to “sift Peter as wheat,” which means that he wished to shake Peter’s faith so forcefully that he would fail, proving that God’s faithful servant was deficient. It was not just Peter who was in danger, though. The word for “you” in Luke 22:31 is plural. Jesus was speaking to Peter, informing him that Satan had his sights set on all the disciples. Some translations, such as the Berean Study Bible, specify the whole group: “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat.”
To this day, Satan desires to sift all believers as wheat. We need to be prepared for such sifting. While these times of testing may take us by surprise, they need not catch us unprepared. A knowledge of scripture, an up-to-date prayer life, and a daily walk with Jesus will allow us to immerge victoriously from the most violent shaking.
A Promise From God’s Word: “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10, KJV). This verse promises that God will strengthen us in the face of Satan’s sifting.
~ Brother Roy
New Hope International Ministries 