“Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it.(John 18:10)”
We have all heard of the “fight or flight” instinct inherent in all of us when we are faced with a fearful situation. We see that tendency on display the night that Jesus was arrested. Peter chose to fight-wielding his sword to cut off a servant’s ear. The other disciples chose flight-running away as fast as they could into the night.
When we are faced with difficulties in life, Jesus reveals that we don’t need to resort to violence: “Put your sword in its sheath,” he says to Peter. And we shouldn’t try to escape the ordeal: “Could you not watch with me one hour?” We only need to watch and pray, as those who stood at the foot of the cross on the day Jesus died. Our presence and our prayers can work wonders in the most trying of times.
Prayer) Dear God, help us take flight or put up a fight when hardship comes, knowing that you are in complete control. In Jesus Name Amen.
-Mark Zimmermann, St. Louis, MO-