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 shall not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brother in."
—Luke 22:31-32
Jesus chose Peter to be a leader in the church, and thus, Satan desired to destroy him. Satan always targets the leadership within the church, because he knows if he can destroy a leader, he destroys many.
But Jesus didn't pray that Satan had to leave peter alone. Instead, he prayed that Peter's faith would not fail. We probably would have prayed, "Lord, keep Peter out of the sifter. Don't let him have any problems." But that would have kept Peter from the growth that comes through experiencing difficulty.
How glorious to realize that Jesus himself is praying for you!
In John 17:20, Jesus include you in his prayer. He said, "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word." If you have come to believe in Jesus as the Son of God then that prayer was for you.
We, like Peter, may be defeated in a few of the battles along the way, but the ultimate victory belongs to Jesus who is praying for us that our faith will not fail. And when we come through in His strength we can then turn and share understanding and compassion with those going through the same issues.
Lord, we thank you that when we stumble, You lift us into Your arms of love, dust us off, wash us, cleanse us, and put us back on the path. In Jesus' name amen.