1 00:00:02,690 --> 00:00:13,430 Speaker 1: Life Audio Hello. Thank you for listening to your daily 2 00:00:13,470 --> 00:00:17,060 Speaker 1: Bible verse, the podcast that examines one verse each day 3 00:00:17,720 --> 00:00:20,480 Speaker 1: to learn more about God and His will for us. 4 00:00:21,300 --> 00:00:24,300 Speaker 1: I'm your host, Jennifer Slattery, and after this short word 5 00:00:24,340 --> 00:00:27,300 Speaker 1: from our sponsor, We'll continue with our Journey to the 6 00:00:27,340 --> 00:00:42,460 Speaker 1: Cross series with a discussion on Matthew 26, 50. Today's 7 00:00:42,520 --> 00:00:46,900 Speaker 1: Bible verse is Matthew 26, 50. Jesus replied, Do what 8 00:00:46,940 --> 00:00:50,720 Speaker 1: you came for, friend. Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus, 9 00:00:51,020 --> 00:00:55,950 Speaker 1: and arrested him. We've probably all endured seasons during which 10 00:00:56,090 --> 00:00:59,380 Speaker 1: we've cried out to God for months, maybe even years, 11 00:00:59,700 --> 00:01:04,440 Speaker 1: begging him to help us, and he seemed distant or non-responsive. 12 00:01:04,700 --> 00:01:08,020 Speaker 1: In that space, our desperation can cause us to behave 13 00:01:08,240 --> 00:01:12,360 Speaker 1: in unhelpful ways, or we can hold tight to truth, 14 00:01:12,440 --> 00:01:16,690 Speaker 1: reminding ourselves again and again that God loves us and 15 00:01:16,790 --> 00:01:20,770 Speaker 1: is always working on our behalf, including during those times 16 00:01:20,830 --> 00:01:24,880 Speaker 1: when we feel abandoned. and alone. A few years ago, 17 00:01:24,940 --> 00:01:28,050 Speaker 1: our family went through an intense crisis during which God 18 00:01:28,200 --> 00:01:32,110 Speaker 1: seemed absent. For a time, I felt tempted to fix 19 00:01:32,330 --> 00:01:36,890 Speaker 1: the situation in a way I knew would not honor Christ. Thankfully, 20 00:01:37,090 --> 00:01:40,289 Speaker 1: he spoke words of encouragement to my weary and overwhelmed soul, 21 00:01:40,370 --> 00:01:43,449 Speaker 1: reminding me to hold tight to what I knew to 22 00:01:43,490 --> 00:01:47,520 Speaker 1: be true, to resist the pull towards survivalist mentality, and 23 00:01:47,560 --> 00:01:51,940 Speaker 1: to trust that he was indeed at work, even when 24 00:01:51,980 --> 00:01:55,930 Speaker 1: we couldn't see that. Looking back, I now recognize he 25 00:01:55,990 --> 00:02:00,590 Speaker 1: remained intimately involved and brought good from our pain, just 26 00:02:01,030 --> 00:02:06,110 Speaker 1: as he promised. As I read the passages surrounding Jesus' arrest, 27 00:02:06,210 --> 00:02:09,710 Speaker 1: I was struck by Peter's dramatic and sudden change. He 28 00:02:09,750 --> 00:02:14,090 Speaker 1: went from courageously confronting a band of soldiers to fleeing 29 00:02:14,150 --> 00:02:18,120 Speaker 1: in fear. John 18 tells us that after Jesus had 30 00:02:18,160 --> 00:02:20,780 Speaker 1: finished praying, he and the disciples crossed the Kidron Valley 31 00:02:21,030 --> 00:02:24,329 Speaker 1: and entered a garden Judas knew about. It was a 32 00:02:24,430 --> 00:02:27,850 Speaker 1: place in which the Lord had often met with his disciples. 33 00:02:28,030 --> 00:02:31,730 Speaker 1: In other words, Jesus made it easy for his betrayers 34 00:02:31,990 --> 00:02:35,260 Speaker 1: to find him. And Judas did, bringing with him a 35 00:02:35,540 --> 00:02:40,700 Speaker 1: detachment of armed soldiers and numerous religious officials. Mark and 36 00:02:40,760 --> 00:02:43,850 Speaker 1: Luke refer to this group as a crowd, making it 37 00:02:43,990 --> 00:02:48,650 Speaker 1: clear Jesus and the disciples were greatly outnumbered and out-armed, 38 00:02:48,730 --> 00:02:51,390 Speaker 1: as earlier in the narrative we read that they took 39 00:02:51,430 --> 00:02:56,330 Speaker 1: with them a single sword. Now, envision Peter mere moments 40 00:02:56,470 --> 00:03:00,640 Speaker 1: after having watched Jesus praying to the Father in agony. 41 00:03:00,800 --> 00:03:04,180 Speaker 1: He now stood beside him in a dark garden as 42 00:03:04,260 --> 00:03:08,120 Speaker 1: a band of men approach, looking like they're prepared for battle. 43 00:03:08,990 --> 00:03:11,590 Speaker 1: One might have expected Peter to cower and hide behind 44 00:03:11,630 --> 00:03:16,530 Speaker 1: his miracle-working Lord. But he didn't. Instead, he courageously, and 45 00:03:16,550 --> 00:03:20,110 Speaker 1: maybe foolishly, drew his sword and cut off one of 46 00:03:20,150 --> 00:03:24,990 Speaker 1: the man's ears. Peter didn't stand firm against the imminent threat. Instead, 47 00:03:25,030 --> 00:03:30,280 Speaker 1: he advanced against it. Until Jesus corrected him, saying, No 48 00:03:30,360 --> 00:03:34,260 Speaker 1: more of this. Put your sword in place. And he 49 00:03:34,340 --> 00:03:40,060 Speaker 1: healed the man's ear. That was when Peter fled. It 50 00:03:40,210 --> 00:03:44,410 Speaker 1: seems when Jesus didn't respond to the situation as Peter expected, 51 00:03:44,490 --> 00:03:51,510 Speaker 1: he assumed all hope was lost. His master had conceded defeat. Peter, 52 00:03:51,550 --> 00:03:54,930 Speaker 1: who'd spent three years cared and provided for by the 53 00:03:54,950 --> 00:03:59,550 Speaker 1: Son of God, now felt vulnerable, defenseless, and alone. He 54 00:03:59,590 --> 00:04:04,850 Speaker 1: went from bold to confused to terrified, an emotional state 55 00:04:04,890 --> 00:04:09,070 Speaker 1: that ultimately led to him denying the Lord. As I 56 00:04:09,150 --> 00:04:12,370 Speaker 1: mentioned at the beginning of our discussion, when we feel 57 00:04:12,530 --> 00:04:17,930 Speaker 1: alone in life's figurative storms, we can behave in unhelpful, 58 00:04:17,990 --> 00:04:21,810 Speaker 1: potentially even sinful ways, or we can turn to God, 59 00:04:22,370 --> 00:04:26,109 Speaker 1: hold tight to the truths recorded in Scripture, and trust 60 00:04:26,190 --> 00:04:30,049 Speaker 1: that He is at our darkest moment working all things 61 00:04:30,290 --> 00:04:33,830 Speaker 1: for our good and His glory as Romans 8.28 assures. 62 00:04:36,350 --> 00:04:39,250 Speaker 1: Yet as we continue our Lent series, we'll also see 63 00:04:39,450 --> 00:04:42,470 Speaker 1: through Christ's interaction with Peter that the Lord turns our 64 00:04:42,510 --> 00:04:47,210 Speaker 1: moments of weakness and faithlessness to good as well. He 65 00:04:47,450 --> 00:04:52,570 Speaker 1: remains faithfully present no matter what we face. Our response 66 00:04:52,790 --> 00:04:58,029 Speaker 1: won't repel him. It can, however, dramatically affect our journey 67 00:04:58,210 --> 00:05:01,790 Speaker 1: through the trial. Will we allow our emotions to pull 68 00:05:01,850 --> 00:05:06,120 Speaker 1: us into a frightened and sorrowful spiral? or lead us 69 00:05:06,180 --> 00:05:10,159 Speaker 1: to greater dependence on Christ, our divine Savior, who allowed 70 00:05:10,440 --> 00:05:15,540 Speaker 1: the soldiers to arrest him, not out of defeat, but victory. 71 00:05:16,380 --> 00:05:22,099 Speaker 1: Let's pray. Holy Father, you are so merciful, so faithful, 72 00:05:22,160 --> 00:05:26,730 Speaker 1: so gracious, so present. You see our weakness. You see 73 00:05:26,810 --> 00:05:30,770 Speaker 1: our fears, our insecurities. You know how we feel. You 74 00:05:30,850 --> 00:05:34,230 Speaker 1: know the thoughts that are spiraling through our brains. and 75 00:05:34,250 --> 00:05:39,070 Speaker 1: you are constantly leading us towards truth, towards greater freedom, 76 00:05:39,130 --> 00:05:44,349 Speaker 1: towards greater peace. Your son promised us joy and peace, 77 00:05:44,690 --> 00:05:49,390 Speaker 1: knowing that we would experience trouble, and we find that 78 00:05:50,029 --> 00:05:54,990 Speaker 1: as we focus on him. When we feel abandoned and alone, 79 00:05:55,050 --> 00:05:58,870 Speaker 1: remind us of your promise to never leave us and 80 00:05:58,890 --> 00:06:02,300 Speaker 1: to never forsake us. When we feel like you Have 81 00:06:02,360 --> 00:06:06,100 Speaker 1: abandoned us like you're not working on our behalf. Remind 82 00:06:06,200 --> 00:06:10,299 Speaker 1: us of the promises in Scripture in which you told 83 00:06:10,360 --> 00:06:12,680 Speaker 1: us that you would turn all things to good and 84 00:06:12,700 --> 00:06:16,200 Speaker 1: that you would complete the good work you began within us, 85 00:06:16,900 --> 00:06:21,310 Speaker 1: that you would complete your plans for us. Thank you 86 00:06:21,330 --> 00:06:25,610 Speaker 1: that your faithfulness does not depend upon ours. Thank you 87 00:06:25,630 --> 00:06:29,609 Speaker 1: that you remain ever-present. in the middle of our darkest moments, 88 00:06:29,670 --> 00:06:31,530 Speaker 1: whether we can see you or not, whether we can 89 00:06:31,610 --> 00:06:34,470 Speaker 1: see your hand or not. We know you are there. 90 00:06:34,510 --> 00:06:37,130 Speaker 1: We know you are working. We know that you love 91 00:06:37,510 --> 00:06:42,010 Speaker 1: us and that you won't leave. Help us when we 92 00:06:42,070 --> 00:06:46,300 Speaker 1: have all of these emotions rising within us to turn 93 00:06:46,360 --> 00:06:49,779 Speaker 1: to you to process our emotions, our fears, our thoughts, 94 00:06:49,900 --> 00:06:53,820 Speaker 1: our perspective, to process it all with you and help 95 00:06:53,900 --> 00:06:58,620 Speaker 1: us to inform our emotions with truth. When we mess up, 96 00:06:59,040 --> 00:07:03,230 Speaker 1: like Peter later does in this narrative, remind us that 97 00:07:03,370 --> 00:07:07,170 Speaker 1: you are a God of mercy and grace and that 98 00:07:07,270 --> 00:07:12,530 Speaker 1: you are always welcoming us back into your loving embrace. 99 00:07:13,670 --> 00:07:15,730 Speaker 1: We love you and we praise you. And it is 100 00:07:15,790 --> 00:07:18,450 Speaker 1: in the name of your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ, 101 00:07:18,510 --> 00:07:19,880 Speaker 1: that we pray. Amen.