But He turned, and
said unto Peter, “Get thee behind me Satan: thou art an offence unto Me: for
thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.” Matthew 16:23
I remember reading this verse almost ten years ago, when I
was a student at Pensacola Christian College. I was in the first semester of my
senior year of Nursing School. This verse jumped off the page. It comes after
Peter telling Jesus about His upcoming suffering, “Be it far from Thee, Lord:
this shall not be unto Thee.” It seems like an innocent statement: the disciple
loved his Master and didn’t want his Master to suffer. In man’s reasoning, this
seems a reasonable wish. Why did Jesus rebuke Peter so harshly, comparing him
to Satan and stating that Peter had offended God Himself?
Think about it. If Jesus had not become the sacrifice for
our sins, we would be doomed to spend eternity in hell with the devil and his
demons. There would be no grace, no mercy, no forgiveness, no love. Peter’s
seemingly innocent wish would have changed eternity.
That evening, when I read this verse, the Holy Spirit
convicted me with the thought, “Do I offend Jesus?” Do I offend Him by wanting
my own desires above what He has planned for me? Am I too focused on what is
important in Man’s eyes without loving what is important to Christ? At the
time, I was feeling sorry for myself because I did not have a future husband
lined up, and all my friends seemed to have boyfriends or were getting engaged.
No guys were even interested in me. Having a guy was my desire at the time, not
God’s. Through the years, God has taken away other desires such as working
among unreached people groups in Papua New Guinea, having my first two children
born healthy, having a good vehicle to rely on (it was totaled by fault of
another driver), and having excellent health. Through all of these
disappointments and trials God has taught me to trust Himself. He has taught me
that savouring the things of God, even if hard and full of tears and suffering
really is the best. Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and lean not unto thine own understanding.” Savouring the things of God
involves trust that He knows best, and surrender to His desires for your life.
I wrote this poem that night that God worked on my heart. It
has been an encouragement to me many times, and I pray that it would be an
encouragement to you. Savour the things of God, that you may not offend, but
please our amazing Saviour.
The things that be of
God:
The things that be of
man:
Which do I savour?
When I feed each
To my soul’s tongue,
I find which to have
the better flavor?
Do I long for the
things
That please and
glorify God?
Do I earnestly seek
His favour?
Or do I long for good
things
That satisfy my own
desires,
Not putting first my
Saviour?
Lord, help me to
taste
The good things of
God.
Let those have the
better flavor.
That I may long for
God’s desires
Above my own desires,
That I completely
please my Saviour.
