And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon, behold Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat.” Luke 22:31 (KJV)
This passage has been on my mind. Upon looking up the words in my Strong’s dictionary, I discovered that the Greek word used here means “completely out from” or a “full handing over.” In other words, Satan has asked to have Peter… alone… out from God’s Hand.
My first thought was, “That ain’t gonna happen.” Didn’t God say He would never leave us nor forsake us? Then it occurred to me that if Satan is the tester of the brethren, it follows that we will have to face that test on our own.
God is always there. We will never have more than we can bear without having a way out. However, the test is ours to pass or to fail.
Sooner or later, we all face the test on our own. God gave Moses His staff, but Moses had to face Pharaoh on his own. Joshua was instructed on what to do, but he had to lead the men into battle. David stood before the giant by himself. Peter faced the mob without Jesus there. Christ was alone on the cross. All of us will face uncertainty, sickness, or death not knowing when God will show up.
Of course, in truth, He is right there with us. Perhaps He will intervene. Perhaps He will be there to catch us or raise us up when the test is complete. I do not know when God will reveal Himself in our lives, trials, or tests. What I do know is that Satan is the tester. Fortunately, it is an open Book test, and God is the One Who will grade. His grading is full of Grace.