Wikipedia describes how gold miners would sift for gold back in the earlier days of mining, “Gold panning is mostly a manual technique of separating gold from other materials. Wide, shallow pans are filled with sand and gravel that may contain gold. The pan is submerged in water and shaken, sorting the gold from the gravel and other material. As gold is much denser than rock, it quickly settles to the bottom of the pan.”

Webster’s online dictionary describes sifting as this:

a: to put through a sieve
b: to separate or separate out by or as if by putting through a sieve
c: to go through especially to sort out what is useful or valuable

For our English lesson today have you noticed all of the verbs? separating, submerged, shaken, to put through, to separate, to go through. They are every day actions that we take if we are separating some mail, putting something through a blender or going through a tunnel. However, they take on a far different meaning when it pertains to our own personal lives. It doesn’t feel good to be sifted, shaken, submerged, or to be put through anything. We’d rather not go that route.

Peter is but one of many stories of how God sifts us for His purpose.

Luke 22:31-34“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”But he replied, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.”Jesus answered, “I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.”

Satan demands to sift all of the disciples like wheat but Jesus says He will pray for them and especially for Peter (Simon). Jesus knows that Peter will fail the upcoming test when he denies Christ but He also knows that this sifting process of Peter is necessary, not only for him, but for his brothers. There is an old saying that says you cannot have a testimony without a test. Peter was tested early on when Jesus went fishing with him and told him to cast his nets on the other side of the boat, contrary to what a seasoned fisherman like Peter would have done. Later on Peter was again tested when he saw Jesus walking on the water in the midst of a horrible storm and was summoned by Jesus to get out of the boat, again something a seasoned fisherman would not have done. Peter was a man of action even if some of his actions were misguided such as when he cut the off the ear of the guard who was attempting to arrest Jesus.

Jesus saw the “gold” in Peter. He saw his potential and in essence Jesus stated that he would be a pillar of the church. It wasn’t until after the resurrection of Christ that Peter truly saw who Jesus was. In the book of Acts it was Peter who preached such a powerful sermon that 3000 people came to know Christ in one day. The same Peter who doubted the fishing ability of Jesus, the same Peter who at first thought Jesus was a ghost walking on the water only to step out of the boat and take his eyes off of Jesus, the same Peter who denied Christ became a great man of God! I’m sure that Peter never thought that he would be preaching in front of such a large crowd especially after denying the One that he was preaching about.

That’s the beauty of what Jesus does. He sees the gold in you and I and if we will allow Him to sift us, to shake us, to separate out the stuff that does not belong, to submerge us then as the dirt and junk is sifted away we will begin to see that glimmer of hope at the bottom of the pan. Remember, Jesus is praying for YOU!

Here is a website that I found encouraging to me. Enjoy! Sifting