Failures are not Finals

For a righteous man may fall seven times and rise again,

Proverbs 24:16.

One thing which is common to all mankind is that we all fail. There isn’t one out there who hasn’t failed – some perhaps more than others. Failure is the inevitable price of trying to do something. Abraham Lincoln said, “Those who never fail: never does much of anything.” The Bible also has meaningful words to say about this – these are the words of the wise man Solomon: For a righteous man may fall seven times and rise again, Proverbs 24:16. We can all relate well “failure” along with some of famous Biblical characters as such as Jacob, King David and Simon Peter. Bible is the true Word of God therefore God allowed His prophets and Apostles to record their failures with the purpose to teach us that God is faithful and mighty enough to enable us to overcome our failures if only we truly repent from our sins and weaknesses.

Jacob is one of the most important characters in the Old Testament. If we look at Jacob's life, we soon recognize that the Bible does not cover up the weaknesses and frailty of its heroes. Jacob deceived his father and stole his brother’s inheritance, Genesis 27:19. Jacob, though not a qualified and not a very attractive person, was loved by God. In Genesis chapter 28 verses 10-22 we read Jacob’s transforming encounter with God. God revealed Himself to Jacob and called that place “Bethel” which means "the house of God." It's the place where he met the Lord. Meeting God at Bethel transformed Jacob's life. Our failures and weakness are nothing before God, He wants to take our life, turn it into a trophy of grace, and bring you to the place where you see that His hand has always been on you. He wants to turn that failure into a blessing. Jacob was a liar by nature therefore he was named Jacob which means "conniver" or "liar," and that's what he was. It was hard for him to do right. He was just moving through life from one failure to another. But God met Him at Bethel and his life was transformed completely. Are you frustrated and distressed over your repeated failure? There's a ladder that goes from Earth to heaven. His name is Jesus, and He said, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life." He wants to transform you from a failure into a success.

Let us also consider the case of King David who had the privilege to enjoy God’s favour wherever he went (2 Samuel 8: 6, 14). David sinned against God who choose him to become a king over Israel. He committed adultery with Bathsheba and mercilessly killed her husband Uriah the Hittite to make her his wife 2 Samuel 11 and 12.  As a result of his sin David had lost his peace of mind, his joy of salvation, and a good conscience. However God was not finished with His servant. God sent His prophet Nathan to confront and to convict David of his sin that he committed against God. God was displeased with David and reminded him the blessings that He added in David’s life apart from anointing David to be the King over Israel. David despised God in spite all the blessings and benefits that he had enjoyed from God 2 Samuel 12:1-14. When Prophet Nathan confronted David, he then immediately appealed God for mercy, he neither excuse himself nor attach blame to Bathsheba.  He confessed that he alone is responsible for this sin against God. He pleaded for a clean heart, and entreated God to restore the joy of salvation that he had. He fell before God with broken spirit and with contrite heart (Psalm 51:17).

God responded to David’s deep contrition and made David as an example how the broken man becomes the blessed man (Psalm 32). Psalms 32 describes God's sovereign grace upon a repented sinner. David was forgiven and counted as blessed counted blessed (Psalms 32: 1-2). The moment David repented and placed his trust upon God, God became his hiding place and surrounded him with the songs of praise and with His loving-kindness (Psalms 32: 7-10). Dear friends, failure are not final. God can freely forgive, restore, and use once more the man who shows genuine repentance for his sin. The Scriptures abound with promises of God’s ability to keep us from falling all of our days, provided we genuinely wish to follow Him (2 Timothy 1:12, Jude 24).

Roy Riegels was a star player, played for the California Golden Bears. He played against Georgia Tech fumble in 1929 Rose Bowl tournament. During the first half of the game he ran sixty-nine yards—in the wrong direction. A teammate finally caught up with him and turned him around just before he scored for the other team. His misplay created a change in field position that eventually resulted in points for Georgia Tech. When the first half was over the distressed Riegels hesitated to meet his coach because of guilty feeling. When he saw his coach he howled bitterly and said to him “coach, I can’t do it,” he continued “I've ruined you, I've ruined myself, I've ruined the University of California. I couldn't face the crowd to save my life.” The coach hugged Riegels with love and calmly told him, “Roy, get up and go back out there—the game is only half over.”

Dear friends, if you have made a thousand new beginnings in the past and have come to failure, you can still make the 1001st new beginning today. God can still make something glorious out of your life. While there is life, there is hope. So, never fail to trust God. Hebrews 12:1 says, “Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” God has marked out a course for each of us, and sometimes that course includes failure. But when we cling to the Savior, even our failures can be turned into successes by the One who controls all things and who strengthens us in our weakness (Philippians 4:11-13). Our ultimate victory in Jesus is assured, but complete victory will only come when we are out of this world of temptation and safe in the arms of the Lord in heaven