Peter in his own strength

“Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: ‘Before the rooster crows, you will disown Me three times.’ And he went outside and wept bitterly.” Matthew 26:75
We all know about how Peter denied the Lord. When we compare all the gospel accounts, he didn’t just deny Him three times, but at least seven times.
How did Peter, the one who was the first of the disciples to declare publicly that Jesus was the Christ (Matt. 16:16-17), fail so badly? The answer is this: he had tried to stand up for Jesus in his own strength. In his own strength he pledged his allegiance: “Even if all fall away on account of You, I never will... Even if I have to die with You, I will never disown You” (Matt. 26:33, 35). In his own strength he struck the high priest’s servant when Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matt. 26:51, c.f. John 18:10). In his own strength he followed Jesus into the courtyard, where he was not prepared to be challenged by the people there, and ended up denying Him (Matt. 26:69-75). The gospels make mention of how Peter and the rest of the disciples failed to pray, but instead fell asleep (Mattt. 26:40-41), although it is debatable whether this would have changed the situation, since prophecy had to be fulfilled (c.f. Matt. 26:31).
There’s a heavy lesson here for us. How often do we try to do things in our own strength, especially when we are trying to faithfully follow the Lord? That’s a sure recipe for disappointment and disaster. Instead, we need to acknowledge and accept our weakness, and trust completely on the One who makes us strong. Peter failed, but he was later restored. And the same is true for us today.