"A second time the rooster crowed. Then Peter called to mind the word that Jesus had said to him, 'Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times."
Mark 14:72
Jesus knew that Peter would deny Him. He knew when and all the surrounding circumstances. He told Peter exactly when it would happen, before the rooster crows twice. That day Peter remembered the words of Jesus, and he wept. He had denied the Lord. But the Lord was not finished with Peter. He forgave him and restored him. He became the leader of the church on the Day of Pentecost. Most of us would admit at some place or some time, we have denied our Lord. Yet, He is willing to forgive us and restore us.
Peter had refused to believe that he would ever deny the Lord. He said as much to Jesus, but it happened just like the Lord said it would. Nothing about our lives is hidden from the Lord. He knows the times and events of our lives. When the rooster crowed twice, Peter remembered the words of the Lord. God's providence had used even a rooster to confirm the words of Christ. Likewise, God's providence works in our lives through all circumstances and events.
As a seminary student, I went to a chapel service on campus to hear a renowned Bible scholar speak. Dr. George A. Buttrick was scheduled to address the student body on that day. I was sure that he would speak some profound theological truth. However, he spoke on the subject, "When the Rooster Crowed." He took the simple story of Peter's denial, and how God used a rooster to speak to him. Yet, that is the only sermon that I remember from the chapel during those days. It was profoundly simple but powerful. It was a reminder that God knows all the details of our lives, and He communicates with us in simple ways, like when the rooster crowed.
Father, restore us through Jesus Christ.
