The Denial and Trial

By Pastor Chad

When life doesn’t go as expected or desired, it can be quite frustrating–and that’s putting it mildly. This frustration can be displayed in various ways, but sometimes we are tempted to blame God for any unfulfilled expectations. 

In John 18, we read that Peter denied Christ three times. Perhaps it is helpful to preface this with the note that, according to Christian tradition, Peter eventually lost his life for the sake of Christ. Furthermore, in John 13:37, Peter tells Jesus that he is willing to die for Him if need be. So what happened in John 18? Why did Peter go from declaring he would die for Christ to shortly denying Christ just hours later? He was willing to go along when things were going as he generally expected, but when things went against what he wanted or expected, he bailed.  

Peter expected Jesus to establish an earthly rule. He expected Jesus to rule as Messiah from Jerusalem. When that plan seemed to be in danger–when his expectations were not met–Peter ran. 

As Christians, it is sometimes easier to trust God with our souls more than it is with our daily lives. Submitting to God, however, means we are willing to trust God even when things do not go as planned. Life regularly offers hiccups, detours, and u-turns. In fact, I personally have never met anyone that had life go exactly as hoped or expected. It can be especially irksome to Christians when life goes awry. God is on our side, right? He wishes for our good, right? Then why do we have such hardships? Though there are–I think–great answers to these questions, my main focus here is that God is trustworthy even in times of unexpected detours and hardships. 

Furthermore, we can trust God even when His plan is one we don’t like. Given our sinful, fallen nature, it is reasonable to conclude that we cannot be trusted to always make the right decision. Even if we are people of good will and sincere disposition, we make mistakes all the time regarding life decisions and life directions. God, however, cannot and does not make mistakes. His plan is always perfect. His will is always good. His word is always right. Therefore, we can trust that God’s will is always best–even if it doesn’t fit into our desired plans or goals.