Voice: Hali
Today is Tuesday, 21st of July. Let’s gather our scattered thoughts and be still in His presence.
We pray:
Almighty and everlasting Father,
we thank you that you have brought us safely
to the beginning of this day.
Keep us from falling into sin or running into danger;
order us in all our doings;
and guide us to do always what is right in your eyes:
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Psalm 6
1 O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger,
nor discipline me in your wrath.
2 Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing;
heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled.
3 My soul also is greatly troubled.
But you, O Lord—how long?
4 Turn, O Lord, deliver my life;
save me for the sake of your steadfast love.
5 For in death there is no remembrance of you;
in Sheol who will give you praise?
6 I am weary with my moaning;
every night I flood my bed with tears;
I drench my couch with my weeping.
7 My eye wastes away because of grief;
it grows weak because of all my foes.
8 Depart from me, all you workers of evil,
for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping.
9 The Lord has heard my plea;
the Lord accepts my prayer.
10 All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly troubled;
they shall turn back and be put to shame in a moment.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as It was in the beginning, is
now, and shall be forever. Amen.
Luke 22:31-34
31“Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, 32 but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” 33 Peter said to him, “Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death.”
34 Jesus said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day, until you deny three times that you know me.”
This is the Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God
Sifted like Wheat
Deep in the Old Testament, we were introduced to the story of Job. It began with Satan asking for permission to test Job’s love and loyalty to God.
Something similar is happening in this passage. Satan demanded to have Peter and to “sift him like wheat.”
The image is unsettling. Wheat was sifted by being shaken violently so that the grain could be separated from the chaff. Satan wanted to shake Peter—to expose his weakness, destroy his confidence and prove that his devotion to Jesus would not endure.
Peter, of course, felt sure of himself.
“Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death.”
His sincerity should not be doubted. At that moment, he truly believed what he was saying. Yet sincerity is not the same as strength. Within hours, Peter would deny three times that he even knew Jesus.
Jesus knew this beforehand. But notice what He said:
“I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail.”
Jesus did not promise that Peter would not stumble. He did not prevent him from entering the trial. Instead, He prayed that Peter’s faith would survive the failure.
Then Jesus added:
“And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”
What extraordinary grace. Before Peter failed, Jesus already spoke of his restoration. His denial would not be the end of his story. He would fall, but he would return. And the broken man would one day become a source of strength to others.
Sometimes we imagine that strong Christians are those who have never failed. Our own church history have accounts of many who have denied or recanted under pressure. When one is sifted like wheat, many do cave in.
Peter’s story teaches us there is still forgiveness and restoration. Strength may come through failure when failure humbles us, drives us back to Christ and makes us more compassionate towards the weaknesses of others.
Our hope is not that we will always remain strong. Our hope is that Jesus remains faithful.
As 2 Timothy 2:12 says:
“If we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself.”
We pray the Collect for the Day:
Lord of all power and might,
the author and giver of all good things:
graft in our hearts the love of your name,
increase in us true religion, nourish us with all goodness,
and of your great mercy keep us in the same;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
We end with this hymn by Sarah Groves, He’s Always been Faithful:
Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me.
Morning by morning, I wake up to find
The power and comfort of God’s hand in mine
Season by season, I watch Him, amazed
In awe of the mystery of His perfect ways
All I have need of, His hand will provide
He’s always been faithful to me
I can’t remember a trial or a pain
He did not recycle to bring me gain
I can’t remember one single regret
In serving God only and trusting His hand
All I have need of, His hand will provide
He’s always been faithful to me
This is my anthem, this is my song
The theme of the stories I’ve heard for so long
God has been faithful, He will be again
His loving compassion, it knows no end
All I have need of, His hand will provide
He’s always been faithful
He’s always been faithful
He’s always been faithful to me
About This Daily Devotion
This weekday devotion is drawn from the Morning Office and is part of a project initiated by Revd Canon Terry Wong, with contributions from clergy and members across various parishes. Each entry includes selected readings from the appointed Psalm and another Scripture passage, accompanied by a reflection and prayer. An audio option is also available, often ending with a hymn or song. We encourage you to both read and listen. Unless otherwise stated, the reflections are written by Revd Wong.
Our aim is to help Anglicans engage more deeply with our rich liturgical tradition, while meeting the devotional needs of today’s believers. This project began on Ash Wednesday 2025 and is offered on weekdays only.
For feedback, please write to us at info@mpcc.org.sg. We also welcome donations to MPCC. Information on how you may give can be found in this link.
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