PASTOR’S CORNER, Aaron Koehn, Trinity Faith Church, Liberal
“And the Lord said, ‘Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat.’” Luke 22:31
“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
Sifting means shaking.
Are you going through storms or trials in your life? Does it feel like everything around you is shaking? We have all been there. It is never easy to walk through the trials of life. Those seasons can leave us questioning why God would allow such things to happen.
First, we must anchor ourselves in the Word and understand this truth: God does not do things to harm us. He does, however, allow circumstances in life to draw us closer to Him—or to bring us back under the protection of righteousness He desires for us.
The Bible often refers to sorting or threshing as a refining process. Grain is shaken so that the useless chaff is separated from what is valuable. In the same way, life’s shaking exposes what truly matters.
Five purposes for shaking an object:
• To bring it closer to its foundation
• To remove what is dead
• To harvest what is ripe
• To awaken
• To unify what cannot be separated
Our thought patterns and heart attitudes rooted in selfishness or pride are often purged through the shaking of life’s struggles and spiritual battles.
After the sifting, self-confidence is stripped away, and all that remains is God’s sure foundation and a deeper reliance on Him.
My prayer is these Scriptures speak hope into your situation today.
“Strengthen your brethren.”
You are loved.
