In view of the great sin into which Peter was so soon to fall (in spite of his protestations), and of
what would follow, the Lord tells him He had already prayed for him. This ministry of our Lord
carries Peter safely through the dark valley_the result of his sin.

But why does the Lord say, "I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not" and not, I have prayed
for thee that thou shouldest not sin? Is it not more to the glory of God that we should not sin than
that we should be sustained through the results of sinning? And would we not be much happier
if we were kept from sinning from the very moment of our becoming children of God?

To these questions one has the simple answer:God gets His glory in the way He takes with us,
and it will shine out in due time; and our present happiness is not God’s highest aim. If we were
kept from sinning while in a condition of soul displeasing to God, how could we learn ourselves
and increase in the knowledge of God? Our bad condition of soul breaking out in sin reveals us
to ourselves more fully, humbles us, and brings us face to face with the riches of the grace of
God, not merely in salvation, but also in restoration. We thus learn the value of Christ’s ministry,
not only in obtaining salvation for us, but also in His present, incessant ministry toward our daily
needs in relation to the infinitely holy God to whom we have been brought. Blessed acquaintance
with God is thus produced, the full results of which are yet to come.

Is it necessary then that we should sin to reach such blessed ends? Surely not. Did we in the power
of the Holy Spirit reckon ourselves "dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ
our Lord" (Rom. 6:11), we would acquire the same end in a quicker and happier way. Ever
judging indwelling sin at the root, we would not need to judge its outbreaks. It would be
uninterrupted growth.

Be it the easier way or the more painful one, be we Jacobs or Abrahams, we are moving onward
to the time when we shall prove that eternal bliss is but another name for the knowledge of God.

(From Help and Food, Volume 25.)

FRAGMENT. One does not get rid of the difficulties of the path of faith by trying to avoid them;
one must surmount them by the power of God.