In a story covered yesterday by SILIVE, it was reported that “Giuseppe Priamo was running on a path along Capodanno Boulevard when a large dog without a leash or visible owner approached him, forcing him to stop his workout completely. The encounter left him shaken and concerned about the safety of other pedestrians, cyclists and children who frequent the popular recreational area.”
“I saw a big dog come out of nowhere with no leash, no owner. It was just walking,” Priamo said. “The dog looked at me, stopped and then it was trying to come at me.”
Priamo said he stopped running immediately, unsure how the dog would react. He said he stood still for several minutes, afraid that running might provoke the animal. Eventually, the dog’s owner appeared, along with another woman who also had an unleashed dog.
“I’m training for the Staten Island Half Marathon and this really just threw me off completely,” Priamo said.
The incident occurred in the lower boardwalk area near the parking lots in the vicinity of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge. After the encounter, Priamo said his nerves were rattled to the point where he couldn’t continue his training run.
According to Priamo, unleashed dogs are a recurring problem along Capodanno Boulevard….
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” 1 Peter 5:8
And, you know, while unleashed dogs are indeed a huge universal problem, you and I can be thankful that God has a leash on the devil, the one who “walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”
This is something we can see in the life of Peter.
At the Last Supper, Jesus warned Simon Peter that a test of faith was coming by saying, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat” This sifting meant the devil wished to shake Peter’s faith so forcefully that he would fall, proving that God’s faithful servant was lacking. And we know that God allowed this sifting to occur for Peter’s ultimate good and for the good of the Kingdom.
“But he said to Him, “Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death.” Then He said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me.‘“ Luke 22:33-34
“Then after about an hour had passed, another confidently affirmed, saying, “Surely this fellow also was with Him, for he is a Galilean.”But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are saying!” Immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” So Peter went out and wept bitterly.” Luke 22:59-62
This may seem harsh until you consider that Peter’s pride caused him to trust too much in his own human strength—something we glean by his profession of steadfast immovability— saying that even if all the other disciples deserted Jesus that he would not. In fact, Peter was so adamant about his ability to remain fixed amid any opposition and that he would not desert Jesus that he declared he would follow Jesus into prison and even into death.
But we know that Peter’s trust in himself ultimately failed by his denial of Jesus for the third time, which caused the rooster to crow just as Jesus said would happen. The worst part, though, must have been seeing the look in Jesus’ eyes that confirmed what Jesus told him to be true.
Peter’s pride kept him from understanding how easy it was to fall and he fell hard—something that caused him to weep bitterly.
So, as you can see, Peter’s sifting was not a punishment, then, but a purification. The devil indeed sifted him as wheat by beating him down in the same way grain must be beat down, ground up and pulverized between heavy grinding stones or sharp steel teeth to remove impurities like dirt, small stones, and chaff.
This spiritual sifting removed Peter's pride and spiritual impurities, specifically by beating down his self-reliance and the "chaff” of his overconfidence.
The sifting meant to destroy Peter backfired on the enemy (as it always does) and left Peter a changed man--a man with a deeper, humbler, and more mature trust in God. Thus proving that sifting is not a punishment, but a necessary purifying that serves to grow our faith and make us more like Jesus.
So, don’t fear being sifted my friend. Jesus prayed for Peter--that his faith would not fail and that when (not if) Peter returned to Him that he would strengthen those around him because of the trial--and you can be sure that He will be praying for you too. And if Jesus is for you, there's no enemy (including Satan) who can defeat you.
And remember… sifting might not be a pleasant process but you can be sure that it will be a profitable one.
Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding us that in the same way wheat must be beaten and broken down to separate the wheat (the useable) from the chaff (the unusable), we, as believers, must endure the same process if we are to be used. Help us to understand that times of hardship and testing are not only what grows our faith but shows it to be real. Lord, when we are being sifted, please remind us that Jesus is praying for us and that nothing can happen to us outside of your will. Help us to understand that anything you allow will ultimately work for our good and for Your glory. It's in Your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen.
Happy Running!
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