What about the present? While He completed the work of atonement on Calvary to God’s glory once and for all, so that He said absolutely, “It is finished” ( John 19:30), He continues to work on our behalf now that He has ascended to the Father’s right hand. That work takes on two forms: He is our great high priest so that we might not sin (Heb. 4:14), and He is our advocate if we do sin (1 John 2:1).
He helps us when we are being tempted. “In that He Himself hath suffered being tempted, He is able to succor [or, help] them that are tempted” (Heb. 2:18).
He sympathizes with our infirmities. “We have not a high priest not able to sympathize with our infirmities, but tempted in all things in like manner, sin apart” (Heb. 4:15 JND).
He intercedes for us. “Who shall bring an accusation against God’s elect? It is God who justifies: who is he that condemns? It is Christ who has died, but rather has been also raised up; who is also at the right hand of God; who also intercedes for us” (Rom. 8:33-34 JND). In fact, this portion of Romans 8 shows us that the whole Godhead is for us: the Spirit (vs. 27), God (vs. 31) and Christ (vs. 34).
When Peter was soon to face strong temptation, the Lord said to him, “I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not” (Luke 22:32). This does not remove our responsibility to walk closely to the Lord in dependence on Him, as He said to the disciples in Gethsemane, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation” (Matt. 26:41). But what a comfort it gives to our hearts to know that our best Friend intercedes incessantly for us!
We know that Peter did fail and denied his Lord. Was it all over with His care for His self-confident servant? No, thank God! That same care proved itself to Peter in other, marvelous ways to work true repentance and restoration in his soul. “The Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord” (Luke 22:61). That look brought Peter’s soul back into the presence of the Lord so that he could see the true character of his failure. Undoubtedly the work of God continued in Peter’s heart over the next few days, plowing deeper and deeper to the root of the sin that caused the outward fall. Then, after the Lord had died and was risen again, we read, “The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon” (Luke 24:34). In that private meeting, Peter must have made full confession of his sin to the Lord and was restored to happy communion with Him once again. Later on, the Lord declared that completed restoration to the other disciples by publicly giving Peter a broad, far-reaching work to do for Him ( John 21:15-17).
Is it any wonder, then, that this same Peter encourages us to cast all our care on Him, “for He careth for you” (1 Peter 5:7)? So fully has He demonstrated the solidity, the purity and the infinity of His love and His care for us that all that remains for us is to believe, to trust, to adore and to worship. “O give thanks unto the Lord; for He is good: for His mercy [or, loving-kindness] endureth forever” (Psa. 136:1).