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"Peter denied it. 'I don’t know what you’re talking about,' he said, and he went out into the entryway. Just then, a rooster crowed." (Mark 14:68 NLT)
Being in the wrong place at the wrong time can have life-altering effects.
As I backed out of the driveway, I saw a blur in my rearview mirror. Knowing a stop sign was only fifty feet away, I stopped and quickly turned my head. I knew the car didn’t see the stop sign. I also knew the chances of a crash were high.
Sure enough, another car approached the intersection from a different direction. What took only a few seconds seemed like an eternity. The car that ran the stop sign T-boned the other vehicle perfectly, causing every glass in the car to explode.
Like both these drivers, I’ve unintentionally been at the wrong place at the wrong time—or at least something I’ve owned has. My portable cassette tape player was once in the wrong place at the wrong time, and someone lifted it. My car was once in the wrong place, too, and someone busted the back glass looking for something they didn’t find.
Peter was at the wrong place at the wrong time—but intentionally. He should have stood near Jesus, not with those who were probably His enemies. Though Peter temporarily stood up for Jesus when the mob arrested him, he quickly turned tail like the other disciples. When questioned several times about his connection with Jesus, he denied knowing him.
Finding ourselves unintentionally in the wrong place at the wrong time is an inevitable part of living. In those times, we must trust God for protection and wisdom in proceeding. Intentionally placing ourselves in the wrong place at the wrong time is a different story. Several things can happen when we do, and Peter experienced most of them. We can fall into sin, our witness can be silenced, Satan may cause us to doubt our salvation, we can confuse others about Christianity, we can distort other’s views of sin, we can end up in unhealthy relationships, and we can make unwise decisions. But ensuring we’re at the right place at the right time will reverse all of the above.
Ask God for wisdom so you will not intentionally find yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Father, guide my steps so I might always be where You want me to be.
Martin Wiles
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