Luke 22:31-32 reads, “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 should not fail…’”
Notice the focus of Satan’s petition to the Lord. He doesn’t ask for forgiveness—it is not within his heart, nor for direction—he receives it from no one. Satan asked for Peter. Why? He mistakenly believed that the sifting of trials and temptations could separate believers from God.
As the personification of what it means to be alienated from God, Satan desires the same for every Christ-follower. When Satan requests one of God’s own, he intends to ruin and ravage our whole being. But not us only, He means to wreak havoc upon the lives of all those to whom we maintain a witness of God’s manifold grace.
The Bible warns us that the devil is like a lion seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). Have you seen camera footage of how a lion pursues a deer or gazelle? He begins his assault upwind, hiding his scent. Then he slowly creeps forward, inch by inch, crouching close to the earth, ready to explode upon the weary and unsuspecting.
Likewise, Satan is always on the prowl—stalking, looking, waiting. He steps back and watches you and me. Satan watches our language and attitudes. He observes which temptations provoke a response. Before he acts, he studies our home life, business dealings, and free time, looking for areas where his presence will go undetected.
A warning to wisely be on guard? Yes. Scary? Not if we remember that in every trial and temptation Jesus is praying for us, and He who promised is faithful.
