When something startles you, or threatens you, what do you do? Your heart starts pumping, your blood is flowing, your vision narrows. Our bodies react. It’s instinct. When we feel threatened, we want to fight. We want to fix it. We want to control it.
And that is exactly where we find our friend Peter today in Matthew 26:51-54. We are learning how to rely on God more and ourselves less. Peter is wide awake, but he’s making a mistake.
It’s the moment of betrayal. Judas shows up with soldiers, torches, and weapons to arrest Jesus. It is a high-stress, high-conflict situation. The atmosphere is tense. And look at what Peter does in Matthew 26:51:
"With that, one of Jesus’ companions reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear."
Peter sees a problem—Jesus is in trouble—and he tries to solve a spiritual crisis with a physical weapon. He swings wildly in the dark and cuts off a guy’s ear.
And I think a lot of us do the exact same thing. We don’t carry swords, but we have other weapons.
When we feel financially threatened, we pull out the sword of Worry.
When we feel our reputation is threatened, we pull out the sword of Gossip or Defensiveness.
When things aren’t going our way at work or home, we pull out the sword of Manipulation and Control.
When tension is high in our community, we swing the sword of Division and Insults.
We try to force a solution. We try to make it happen in our own strength.
But notice what Jesus says in Matthew 26:52. He doesn't say, "Good aim, Peter! Nice job!" He says, “Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?”
Jesus makes it clear that He’s in charge. Twelve legions of angels is an incomprehensible amount of spiritual power. Jesus is telling Peter: we are not victims here. And if it looks like we are the victims, then maybe you are not in sync with what God is doing.
Peter wanted to save Jesus from the cross, but the cross was God’s plan to save Peter.
Here is the truth for us today: Relying on God means putting away our sword. It means realizing that our best defense, our best attempt to control the outcome, is nothing compared to God’s plan.
And look at Jesus in this moment. In the middle of being arrested, He reaches out and touches that servant’s ear and heals him. He cleans up Peter’s mess. And then, He surrenders to the soldiers.
He put away His power—He could have called down angels—and He trusted the Father’s plan. He went to the cross so that we wouldn’t have to live by the sword. He fought the real battle so we could have peace.
So as we head into prayer today, I want to ask you: What sword have you been swinging lately? What situation are you trying to fix, control, or force right now? Is it a relationship? A job situation? A wayward child? A political agenda?
“Pray First” means we drop the weapon of self-reliance. We stop fighting for victory and we start praying from victory.