Peter was the man who said he would never desert Jesus. Not only did Peter end up denying that he knew the Lord, but he did it with a stream of profanities pouring from his mouth.
“And the servant girl saw him again, and began to say to those who stood by, ‘This is one of them.’ But he denied it again. And a little later those who stood by said to Peter again, ‘Surely you are one of them…’ Then he began to curse and to swear, ‘I do not know this man of whom you speak!’” (Mark 14:69-71, NKJV).
If you had been standing near the fire listening to Peter, you may have thought, “Is this the man who was on the Mount of Transfiguration? Is this the one who laid hands on the sick, and they recovered, the one entrusted with the keys to the kingdom? Listen to what’s coming out of his mouth! How could he walk so intimately with the Lord and then blow up like this, lying, cursing and denying him? It’s all over for Peter. He might as well go back to his fishing nets. He’ll never be heard of again.”
Had you run to the Lord, exclaiming about Peter’s cursing, he would have answered, “Yes, Peter has failed me; but I know his heart. He’s going to be on a hill in a few hours, weeping and coming back to me. He is on his way to Pentecost and to a life of ministry for me. In fact, he will die a martyr, crucified upside down for me”.
“If we are faithless, he remains faithful; he cannot deny himself” (2 Timothy 2:13). It is true that Peter was terribly unfaithful, but God remained faithful, and his eternal purpose in Peter’s life was not thwarted. Why? Because God cannot deny who he is.
No matter what you have been through or what you have done, God looks on your heart. If you have a broken and contrite spirit, he will be there for you. His eternal purpose for you will not be ruined because he will see it through!