Have you ever wondered what happens when you stray off the pathway of God's plan for your life? It's easy to mess up. Simon Peter had that experience--but God gave him a second chance. You may find some encouragement here from a man with whom many of us can identify.

THE MESS UP

Under cover of a hazy moonlight, an angry crowd approaches the garden. Their torches and lanterns are the only things that signal their approach. They are carrying weapons. There's Judas! Peter gasps. Judas is leading the high priest and a group of soldiers. Rousing himself from the spot where he, James, and John had fallen asleep, Peter bolts to his feet and turns to face the mob.

Jesus had admonished him about falling asleep and not praying. His Lord looks drained, yet determined. They've been to the Garden of Gethsemane many times before, but nothing like this ever happened. Peter trembles. "Master," Judas breaks the silence with brazen hypocrisy and yet timidity in his voice. Drawing close to Jesus, he greets Him with the traditional Hebrew kiss, though never looking Him in the eye. Jesus answers him back with anguish and concern in His voice. Peter can't quite hear the words, but he knows something is wrong. Terribly wrong.

They're going to arrest him! Peter suddenly realizes. His mind is now alert and adrenalin is rushing through his body. James, John and I are the only ones who can save him. Guards step forward to bind the arms of Jesus. Peter draws his sword to protect his Lord and friend. Peter's sword connects with human flesh, sending one of the men writhing to the ground with a blood-curdling scream. Lying next to him, a small object is staining the ground crimson.

The man looks up at Peter in horror. Standing next to him is his master, the Jewish high priest, the number one holy man of Israel. Peter's stomach twists into knots. He has just cut off the right ear of the high priest's servant. Somewhere deep inside, Peter knows that he has just messed up. Maybe enough to cost him his destiny.

THE BACKGROUND

I remember meditating for the first time on this story found in Luke 22:47-53 and John 18:1-14. What an incredible night that must have been in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus was approaching the fulfillment of His mission. To strengthen Himself for the final test, He'd retreated with His closest followers to a favorite place of prayer. There He'd knelt three times and poured out His heart to God. His disciples had been too tired and unaware to join Him in this crucial hour.

After gently rebuking Peter, James, and John for failing to keep watch with Him, Jesus was confronted by Judas leading the temple guards to arrest Him. In the bedlam that followed, only one act of violence is mentioned: Peter, in impulsive rage and protectiveness, drew his sword and cut off the ear of the high priest's slave. Luke only mentions the ear severing. John tells who did it.

To understand the significance of Peter's blunder, and how it could have cost him the fulfillment of his life purpose, we need to turn back to an earlier scene in Peter's life. After calling him to become a "fisher of men," Jesus had clearly revealed to Peter the destiny that God had for him. It took place near a town named Caesarea Philippi.

HOW IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE

What a week!  Healings every day. Four thousand people fed from seven loaves and a few fish. Peter was sure that Jesus was no ordinary man. Jesus has chosen me to be one of his close followers he thought to himself as the twelve walked with the Lord along the dusty road to Caesarea Philippi. Will He establish His kingdom soon? the young apostle wondered. What role will I play in this glorious new age?

Coming to a grove of olive trees that shaded a well-used rest area for travelers, Jesus instructed His disciples to stop for a moment to refresh themselves. As they sat on the ground at His feet, Jesus surprised them with a question that only one was prepared to answer."Who do you say I am?" asked the Master. Peter rose with the confidence of one who knew.

"You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." He spoke with great conviction and then sat down. Every eye was now focused on Jesus. They all awaited confirmation. Jesus didn't answer them directly. (He rarely answered them directly.) Looking down the corridor of time, with pride and certain pronouncement, He looked into Peter's eyes and imparted to him a sense of destiny:

"You are blessed, Simon son of Jonah, because no person taught you that. My Father in heaven showed you who I am. So I tell you, you are Peter. On this rock I will build my church, and the power of death will not be able to defeat it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; the things you don't allow on earth will be the things that God does not allow, and the things you allow on earth will be the things that God allows" (Matthew 16:17-19).

Peter sat dumfounded. Jesus had just given him a new name. Didn't that happen only when God was about to use an individual in an unusual way? His heart was racing. And what was that about building a church around him and giving him keys to the kingdom of heaven?

Jesus put His arm around Peter as the group headed back down the road. He loved this rough, tough fisherman. The Father had shown the Son that this boisterous, impetuous man--Simon Peter, the fisherman--was destined to be the leader of the disciples and the early church. But He also knew that fulfilling God's plan for his life wouldn't be easy. He would need some help along the way.

That brings us back to the Garden of Gethsemane. Peter, the "rock" upon which the early church was to be built, had committed not just an impetuous act, but a crime:

- He had assaulted a person with a deadly weapon.
- The evidence was clear--the ear had been cut off.
- The victim was the slave of the main legal and religious leader of the nation, the High Priest.
- He would certainly go to prison. He had messed up big time.

JOIN THE CLUB

Peter's story is not unique. The Bible says that we "all have sinned and are not good enough for God's glory" (Romans 3:23). All of us have deviated in some way from God's perfect pathway for our lives. We've made choices that were not His will. We've plunged into sin for days, months, or even years. Like Jonah, some of us have even run away from His plans for our lives.

None of us--except Jesus--have lived perfect lives. Somewhere along the line, we all mess up. Fortunately, our loving Father does not just write us off. We are all dependent on His grace and redeeming love. He is always working redemptively with our choices and mistakes.

For a number of years I worried about achieving God's "best" for my life. It was good motivation for a Christ-centered life. But my concept of "best" was too rigid. Somewhere inside of me I'd subconsciously drawn the conclusion that there was only one "best" road for me. If I missed it, then there were few paths left open to me.

In the Bible, I found that the emphasis was different. Instead of focusing on what had been "lost," God was always creating new possibilities for people. They would break and He would mend. They would sin and He would forgive. They would lose and He would restore. The emphasis was always on God's ability to creatively resurrect their destiny if a person would return to obedience to Him.

The Bible's list of repaired or resurrected destinies is almost endless: Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Samson, David, Hezekiah, Elijah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Job, Paul, and yes--Peter. All of them sinned and put their destiny either in jeopardy or on hold. But God came through to offer them new life and hope and propel them forward.  The key was God's grace and willingness to give them another chance. That brings us back to Simon Peter. God wasn't through with him yet.

THE RESCUE

Sweat dripped off his brow as Peter looked at the damage he'd inflicted. Blood was streaming down the neck of the high priest's slave. Everyone seemed frozen until Jesus broke the silence. "Peter," He said, "put your sword back. Shouldn't I drink the cup the Father gave me?"

Peter blinked back tears. It seemed that all hope was lost with the arrest of his Master and Lord. But Jesus stepped forward and put His hand on the slave's bloodied head. When He pulled His hand away, a new ear had replaced the old one. The crowd gasped. A person's destiny had just been rescued. Peter had been delivered from the consequences of his crime.

Jesus had done it. By destroying the evidence.

THE GOD OF SECOND CHANCES

After denying the Lord Jesus and experiencing His crucifixion and resurrection from the dead, Peter went on to fulfill his calling as the leading apostle of the early church. The one who had made him years before was faithful to "remake" him following his impetuous crime and cowardly denial.

Yes, he'd messed up. Yes, he'd done wrong. But God was ready to make all things new and restore him to the pathway of odedience. He will always salvage a life put back into His care.

The same is true of us. Some of you may have stepped off the roadway of God's plan for your life. Maybe it was due to:

- abusive and ungodly parents
- the grief and heartache of divorce
- years wasted with alcohol, drugs, or sexual sin
- the committing of a crime
- or years spent in apathy and ignorance.

No matter how you've messed up, God specializes in healing and restoration. He doesn't always take away all the consequences of sin. But He longs to show us mercy and remake us into His image. He's the God of second chances.

If you've messed up, be encouraged. "The law came to make sin worse. But when sin grew worse, God's grace increased" (Romans 5:20).  Messing up makes us candidates for grace.

He restored Peter. He'll do the same for you and me.