25Meanwhile, Simon Peter was still standing there warming himself. So they asked him, “You aren’t one of his disciples too, are you?” He denied it, saying, “I am not.” 26One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, challenged him, “Didn’t I see you with him in the garden?” 27Again Peter denied it, and at that moment a rooster began to crow.
John 18:25-27
Peter had just finished telling Jesus that he would never abandon Him, and here he is, hours later, denying their relationship to a servant girl. This was a low point for Peter. We are told that as this rooster crowed the third time, Jesus turned and looked right at Peter and he immediately went away and wept bitterly.
Before we rush to judge Peter, we should consider how fickle our own hearts are. Have you found yourself in a situation where you cower with fear when you thought you would stand firm? Have you shrunk in the face of danger before?
This wasn’t the end of Peter’s story because God was good to him. Jesus pressed him so Peter would examine what was in his heart, and this was his response:
15When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”
John 21:15
Just as God was good to Peter, He can show you the same goodness. Are you held back by previous failures? Do you need to hear yourself tell Jesus that you love Him above all others? If you have had some failures you can’t get over, maybe today is a good day to have the conversation with God and receive His goodness.
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