“But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.” Luke 22:32 As Satan did with Job, he approached God to ask for permission to assail Peter: “And the Lord said, Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.” (Luke 22:31-32–NKJ–brackets added). Some liberal theologians believe that Jesus Christ’s prayer failed to accomplish what He had requested of His Father. They surmise this because Peter denied Jesus three times, only moments after Jesus had prayed for him (Luke 22:55-60). Their foolish conjecture [heresy], if it were true, certainly would place Christ’s deity and omnipotence in question. It is true however, that Peter miserably failed by denying Jesus Christ in the ensuing moments leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion. However, after the Lord’s resurrection and during His re-appearance, He mercifully and graciously restored Peter (Jn. 21:15-17). Jesus instructed Peter to adorn self-sacrificing allegiance to Him and to encourage and instruct the brethren. Thereafter, Peter’s faith proved to be a bedrock, in which believers can look to him [his epistles] for guidance and hope. In this article I plan to show that Jesus prayer was indeed effectual and was evidence of God’s forgiveness, because He restored Peter to a high level of trust shepherding many of God’s flock. For instance, in the book of Acts, especially after Pentecost, when Christ had poured out the Holy Spirit upon Peter and 119 other disciples in the Upper Room (Acts 2:1-4, 17, 33), from that day on, Peter boldly preached the gospel of Christ, amidst extreme hostility and persecution. He evidenced strong agapē love and faith in Jesus–the type of love Jesus sought, when He asked Peter three times, “Do you love Me?” (Jn. 21:15-17). In fact, not only did Peter preach with power, but it’s obvious that he was given the authority [from above], to offer repentance and forgiveness. The Bible records three separate occasions where Peter addressed the multitude, Jewish leaders and the Sanhedrin [Israel’s highest religious governing body]. He courageously indicted them for murdering Jesus. But, he also offered them repentance and forgiveness (Acts 2:23, 39,...
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