This year has certainly been a year to remember. There are plenty of years that I couldn’t tell you a single thing that happened that year with any certainty. I have a feeling that 2020 will never fall into that category.

From month to month it seems as if there is always something new for us to be concerned about. As we flip the calendar page over, a new threat seems to enter in. Another item to create stress and anxiety is added to our lives.

There has been a lot to try to mentally and emotionally handle this year, and when we factor in how social distancing has affected our interaction with others, the burden feels even heavier to carry. Being isolated socially carries its own set of negative consequences when it comes to working through our stress and anxiety.

I believe that most of the concerns we have are understandable, logical and even natural. We would rather not become ill for any reason and we certainly don’t want our family or friends to suffer with any health problems. We bear concern for our communities and our nation. We are concerned about the world our children and grandchildren will grow up in. We bear these concerns because of our love for others. They seem right to have.

I have a feeling that Peter thought the same thing about his major concerns as he approached Jesus and took Him aside to talk. Jesus had been saying some very concerning things to him and the rest of the disciples and Peter finally was brought to his limit. What was Jesus saying?

In Matthew 16 it says, “From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that He must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”

Peter loved Jesus. He understood that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of the living God, and now Jesus was saying that He was going to suffer terribly and then be killed! Surely this couldn’t be right! You can almost feel Peter’s blood pressure rising and hear his rapid heart beat as the worry and anxiety builds. I’m not sure if he was even fully listening when Jesus got to the part about rising on the third day. Peter pulled Jesus to the side and rebuked Him saying, “Never, Lord!” This shall never happen to you!”

Jesus’ response back to Peter has always been startling to me but recently for a different reason. Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” What always left me in awe before was how strongly Jesus condemned Peter, referring to him as Satan and a stumbling block. Those are certainly very strong words to hear the Messiah say to you! Recently it has been the last half of the sentence that has stuck out to me like never before. Did you catch it?

Peter had “merely human concerns.” He wasn’t thinking of the concerns of God or with an eternal perspective. His human nature left him shortsighted even if it was over Jesus’ death. His concerns were wrapped up in the here and now, the earthly situation that lay before him.

The question that has been crossing my mind lately is how many of our concerns are “merely human concerns”? Have we been wasting time and energy on temporary concerns instead of being concerned about what is truly important? Have we been concerned lately as much as we used to about the salvation of friends and family? In a world filled with things to be concerned about, may we all ask God to concern us with what concerns Him.