As a Caring Friend....

Quoting Robert D. Hales: “The Savior, as a caring friend, said to Peter, who had recently come tofollow the Savior, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you,that he may sift you as wheat:
“But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren” (Luke 22:31–32).”

Simon had recently left behind his old life and come to follow the Savior. The Savior is aware of Satan’s attempts to sway us and the Savior’s response shows his love for us, he prays for Simon, that his faith will not fail.  The Lord knows our potential and what we are capable of doing, and then he counsels Simon “when thou art converted [future event], strengthen thy brethren[call issued now].”  When thou art converted indicates the hope and faith that the Lord has in Simon, that he will become converted, and then, when the conversion has taken place, he asks Simon to share of his testimony and conversion with others to strengthen them. The Lord issued the call now, fully knowing that Simon's conversion hadn't fully taken place yet. Simon's heart was in the right place, but he was still weak in his testimony as Christ noted in verse 34: " And he said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me." Peter would still make some serious mistakes, but it comforts me in my relationship to my Savior to see how the Savior loved Peter and called him to be a witness, despite his weaknesses and sins. The Savior saw past those mistakes and saw Peter's potential. We know that later, after Christ's death and resurrection, Peter testified powerfully of the Savior and worked to strengthen the saints.


The Lord knows our potential too and because of that knowledge, he issues to us certain calls, prior to our converted state, even though we feel woefully inadequate and unprepared.


This applies to me very poignantly right now in two ways.  1) I was called to be a counselor in the Relief Society Presidency, to help lead and direct the sisters spiritually, but I have felt very spiritually drained at this time in my life. 2) I am supposed to lead and direct them spiritually in Spanish which I don’t speak!   I would like to imagine that the Lord has said to me the same thing that He said to Simon Peter. I hope that He has prayed for me, especially that my dwindling faith will not fail.  I know He knows me.  And I believe that He is everything that I read in the scriptures.  Therefore I hope that I can be strengthened and I will be converted--with the same conviction that I had before this spiritual drought. And that I will be able to fulfill this call to strengthen my sisters. That somehow, I will be able to learn and understand the language in a way that I will be able to communicate with them and they will be able to understand the meaning behind what I’m trying to say.