A prayer for atonement by Greg Lorry.

For your name's sake, a Lord, pardon my iniquity for it is great, Psalm 2511.

Peter couldn't take it anymore.

He had watched his Lord's anguish in the Garden of Gosemity.

He had watched the group of soldiers come to arrest him, so he took out his sword, took a swing, and removed the ear of the high priest's servant.

In a way, I understand Peter's frustration.

Had I been in the same situation, I might have

done the same thing. We might almost commend Peter for his heroism and bravery,

but in reality Jesus did not do that at all. He told Peter to put the sword away.

Poor Peter. He couldn't seem to get it right. He always seemed to be doing the wrong thing at the wrong time.

He was sleeping when he should have been praying.

He was talking when he should have been listening.

He was boasting when he should have been fearing.

Now he was fighting when he should have been fearing.

Now he was fighting when he should have been surrendering.

He always had it turned upside down.

You see, Peter failed to see that he was fighting the wrong enemy.

Our enemies are not flesh and blood, the Bible says,

but principalities and powers, and they cannot be defeated by ordinary measures.

Far too often we take things into our own hands and try to assist God

to sort of help him out a little.

And far too often we do not pull out the most powerful weapon in our arsenal, which is prayer, and use it in these times of battle.

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