In 2003, I was going through the hardest time of my life. My first wife had left me and my business was going under. I ended up divorced and bankrupt. My mind began to be consumed with one thought, “You’re nothing but a failure!” I couldn’t shake it. I had failed God, failed at love and failed at business. That thought I couldn’t shake made me think my life was over and that God could never use me. I felt like I had let everyone down. As I was going through it, I received a word from God through someone who didn’t know me or what I was going through. God said, “What seems like an end is only a beginning. I have not left you. In fact I am walking through this with you. Im not in front of you or behind you. I’m right beside you. Where I’m leading is to a place where you will experience joy like never before.” Over twenty years later, looking back, I can say God has been true to that word.
In John 18, Peter was standing in a courtyard watching and listening to people accuse Jesus. That’s when a little girl recognized him and asked him if he was a disciple of Jesus. Peter denied it. Two more people asked about it that night and he got to the point he vehemently denied that he knew Jesus. Luke says that Jesus turned and looked at Peter after the rooster crowed and Peter left weeping bitterly at his failure. Peter began to focus on his failure and even went back to his old life of fishing rather than preaching. That’s when Jesus showed up and asked him if he loved Him. Jesus took his failure and used it to build a rock solid faith rather than to use it to disqualify him.
Psalm 103:1-4 says, “Bless and affectionately praise the Lord, O my soul, And all that is [deep] within me, bless His holy name. Bless and affectionately praise the Lord, O my soul, And do not forget any of His benefits; Who forgives all your sins, Who heals all your diseases; Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you [lavishly] with lovingkindness and tender mercy” (AMP). God doesn’t just forgive our failures. He redeems our life from the pit that they create, including pits that are so deep you can’t see the sunlight. Instead of beating us up or leaving us, he gives us kindness and mercy in those times. Our greatest growth will come from our lowest moments of failure if we focus on who Christ wants us to become and follow His leading rather than succumbing to the thoughts of our failure. He restores us and leads us into new beginnings after failure if we will let Him.
Photo by Gary Meulemans on Unsplash
Devotions by Chris Hendrix 