THURSDAY

SCRIPTURE: Matthew 26:31-35

Listening is often harder than it appears. All of the disciples struggled at times to truly hear and understand what Jesus was saying, but perhaps no one illustrates this more clearly than Peter.

Our inability to listen well to God and to others not only makes things harder for them, it can also lead us into difficulty. Peter boldly declares that Jesus is the Messiah in Matthew 16:16, yet only a few verses later he tries to persuade Jesus not to follow the path he came to fulfill. In today’s passage, Jesus prepares the disciples for the reality that they will scatter. Peter insists that even if everyone else falls away, he will not. Jesus tries again to tell him what is coming, but Peter cannot hear it.

At times, our lack of self-awareness, often expressed through an unwillingness to listen, sets us up for failure. We can only imagine how differently things might have unfolded had Peter responded as he later did after the resurrection, when he encountered Jesus again by the sea.

Yet Peter’s story also offers hope. Listening is something we can learn. God already knows our struggles and remains committed to us, just as God remained committed to Peter, pursuing him with love, grace, and an invitation to continue serving alongside the Great Shepherd.

As you reflect on today’s passage, consider these questions:

• In what areas do you recognize a tendency to struggle with listening well, or truly hearing what is being said?

• Like Peter and the other disciples, we all have blind spots or places where we resist hearing certain things, or may even be in denial. Invite God to help you see or hear what you might be missing. You might also consider asking a trusted friend to share what they notice that you may not be paying attention to.

• As you reflect on the reality that God is already aware of your blind spots and the areas you are still growing through, and that Jesus remains with you in the midst of that process, how do you respond? What does it feel like to know you are fully known and still fully loved?

• What if prayer is just as much about listening to what is on God’s heart toward you as it is about expressing what is on your own heart? How might that reshape your prayer life?

• As you sit with this passage, what do you sense God inviting you to consider or to do next?

Take a few moments to share with God in prayer what is on your heart, being also attentive to what is on God’s heart for you.