WHAT DID PETER CHOOSE?

I'm writing for Five Minute Friday and today's prompt is CHOOSE.

I identify so much with Peter the disciple.  He was a feisty, 'uneducated' fisherman, captivated by this man Jesus.   Was he looking to be someone's disciple that day, when he first encountered Jesus up close?

He was so captivated by Jesus that he left his livelihood to follow Him.  

Why?  Why did he choose to do that?   Who is this Jesus, who so captivates people? 

And I love what Peter says when Jesus later questions him about leaving.  Jesus had been teaching His many disciples about eating His flesh and drinking His blood, which must have absolutely freaked them out.   

But Peter, who also did not really understand, and that became obvious later in the garden, says these words:

“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.  Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”  John 6:68,69

Peter chooses to stay, and so the do the rest of the twelve.        I wonder if they stayed because he did.    

What do WE do when God says hard stuff to us, asks for hard stuff from us?   

When He asks us to get out of the boat that we're so used to, so familiar with, to walk on the waves, to walk into an unknown future with a God we're still learning to know.  

When He asks us to lay our children, grown or otherwise, on His altar, so He can do what He wants in their lives, and in ours. 

When He asks us to lay aside our plans for the future, to shepherd His people, with no qualifications except a lifetime of training and a father's heart.   

When He asks us to persevere in a situation that is hard and painful and with no end in our line of sight.

When He asks us to trust Him with our health when the doctors don't know what else to do.

We choose.  When God obviously places these choices before us, we choose.   We may choose what He wants, even though it's hard and gut wrenching and confusing.   

These are real choices being made by people I know and love.  

Or by default, we may choose to stay when He says to go, or we may choose to go when He says to stay, or we may choose to start when He says to stop, or we may choose to stop when He says to start.   

Peter made a lot of choices in his time with Jesus, before Jesus died.    He was constantly being written about as one who openly wrestled with what Jesus was saying and doing and wanting to do.   

He made choices after Jesus died, and after Jesus rose again.   And each time, we see him wrestle and struggle and wonder.   At one point, he looks like he'd given up, until that day on the beach, when Jesus asked him to choose again.

Did Peter think he'd failed too badly, too often, and that Jesus had given up on him?  I suspect so.   But Jesus chooses Peter again, and gives Peter the chance to choose, again.

He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?”

And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.”

Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep.  Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish.”  This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me.”  John 21:17-19

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And that right there is our choice.   Follow Me.  He has said this to me again and again lately, as I have had to make hard choices.    

It's simple enough - to choose to follow.  Simple because it's based on Him - His character, His purpose, His strength, His glory - He is more than enough.   

But it's hard because of what we have to lose - everything we've known and trusted in so far, everything we've done or tried to do, people we dearly love and want to protect or hang onto, relationships we've found shelter in.

Just in the psalms alone, there are over 200 references of 'I will' and 'He will', followed by a choice on His part or ours.    

And our hard choices can be made because He's already made the hard choices and is the One who sustains us in our hard.   He is the bedrock of faithfulness and His 'I will' is sure and certain.   

These are the verses He led me to this morning, and they contain 'I will' phrases, because He is the Rock that is higher than I.    And because He is higher than me, and my failures and understanding and abilities and strength, I can choose to follow Him wherever He leads, one day at a time.   

Hear my cry, O God; attend to my prayer.

From the end of the earth I will cry to You,

When my heart is overwhelmed;

Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

For You have been a shelter for me,

A strong tower from the enemy.

I will abide in Your tabernacle forever;

I will trust in the shelter of Your wings.    Selah   Ps 61:1-4

I love this old song and I often catch myself singing it.     

When my heart is overwhelmed

Hear my cry, give heed to my prayer

When my eyes are dimmed with tears,

O Father, make them clear

From the ends of all the earth

When my heart is fainting

Let me know that You have heard

Lead me into safety 

And lead me to the Rock, the Rock that's higher 

Lead me to the Rock, the Rock that's higher than I