www.cg: God's Word for Failures

GOD'S WORD FOR FAILURES

by Richard Burkard

Hello. My name is Richard, and I'm a failure.

If we were in a support group meeting, you'd be expected to respond with a cliched: "Hi, Richard!" But the problem is that there seem to be no general support groups for failures. There are groups for problem gamblers, drinkers, abusive parents et al. - but none for the people who fail overall, at a wide variety of things.

Some might argue the church is a support group for failures. After all, converted Christians realize they've failed to live up to God's holy and righteous standard (Rom. 3:23) -- and they need a Savior named Jesus to bail them out of their sin-filled situation. (Tit. 3:3-7) But how well does the church help people in dealing with the personal daily failures of life, small or large?

This topic came to mind as I examined the last few years of my life, and found several areas where I failed miserably. Failure in interpersonal communication cost me a long-time job, and prevented me from having error-free shows at a local TV station where I worked. The home business I started is failing for a lack of paid subscribers. Efforts at romance have failed - in part due to a lack of interest from eligible women around me, and in part from being in congregations where the number of eligible Christian women is practically nil.

I wondered if God's guidebook, the Bible, would have anything to say to a failure such as me. After all, Christian radio and TV shows talk over and over about living victoriously, successfully, triumphantly and with prosperity. No church would dare advertise itself as a "loser's corner" or promote being an "also-ran" for Jesus - it's simply not good public relations.

Yet when I opened a concordance, I received quite a surprise. The King James Version has nearly 100 verses containing the word "fail" or something similar to it. Only six verses have words relating to "success" - and most of those involve a line of succession in controlling land. (Sorry, old-time Worldwide Church of God fans; no Bible verse lists the "Seven Laws of Success.") It turns out the Bible has much to say about why people like me fail - as well as how we should look upon our failures.

Has God Failed?

A vital first question to address is whether your failures are the result of God failing. Many churches contend if you simply have faith in God, you'll find victory over every problem in your life - whether it be the search for a spouse, the money to keep a business going or the strength to overcome an addiction. The message sounds good, and can be mixed with Scriptures to sound quite Biblical. But several important factors often are overlooked:

* God reserves the right to say no. He said it to Paul three times about the mysterious "thorn in the flesh." (II Cor. 12:7-8)

* God could intervene and make you fail, especially if you're not obeying Him. "He will rise up against the house of the wicked.... When the Lord stretches out his hand.... he who is helped will fall...." (Isa. 31:2-3)

* God could be allowing you to wear out your own strength, before punishing you for sins. (Jer. 51:25-32)

When things go wrong or times are tough, it's probably a natural human reaction to think God has failed us. Asaph even wrote about it in a psalm: "Will the Lord reject forever? Will he never show his favor again? Has his unfailing love vanished forever? Has his promise failed for all time?" (Psm. 77:7-8; see also Jer. 15:18)

He's Never Failed Us Yet

But Asaph answers his own doubting questions in another psalm: "Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart." (Psm. 73:1; keep the second part of that verse in mind for later.) Consider all the sure promises God makes throughout the Bible:

* God promised not to fail Joshua - not once, but several times. (Deut. 31:6, 8; Josh. 1:5)

* Joshua later noted when it came to the promised land, ".... not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed." (Josh. 23:14; see also 21:45)

* A promise stated through David said God would make sure the temple construction project was finished. (I Chr. 28:20)

* God's covenant with David will never fail. (Psm. 89:28)

* God's righteousness will never fail. (Isa. 51:6)

* God's justice does not fail. (Zeph. 3:5)

* His compassions never fail. (Lam. 3:22)

* Jesus Christ was prophesied in the Old Testament not to fail. (Isa. 42:4)

So if God didn't fail in my efforts, who did? You can almost her the cry of some losers now....

They Made Me Fail

Don't overlook the role other people can play in causing your plans to fail. The Bible assembles a lineup of possible suspects.

"The vile person will speak villany, and his heart will work iniquity.... and to utter error against the Lord.... he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail." (Isa. 32:6, KJV) The NIV calls such a person a fool -- and fools gain that reputation when "his wisdom faileth him...." (Ecc. 10:3, KJV)

A child's eyes can fail when their father "denounces his friends for reward...."(Job. 17:5) The KJV has "flatteries" here - and David warns in a psalm when flattering words based on lies abound, faithful people can fail. (Psm. 12:1-2, KJV)

In a similar way, the prophet Amos writes fraud committed by some people can make poor people fail. How? By "skimping the measure, boosting the price and cheating with dishonest scales...." (Amos 8:4-5, compare KJV and NIV)

Even with all this, it could be that you're around honest, upright people who are truthful in their words and actions - yet failure still occurs. Who or what is the problem then? Uh-oh....

"If God Seems Far Away, Who Moved?"

This was a favorite phrase of the late Joseph Tkach, Sr. when he was Pastor-General of the Worldwide Church of God. It's tempting to turn that phrase on almost any small Church of God group today - but of course, nearly every group would claim they're close to God and the others may not be. In terms of our topic, it's important to consider whether your failure resulted from moving away from God's will.

Paul put the phrase this way: "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you - unless, of course, you fail the test?" (II Cor. 13:5) The Bible gives several sets of standards for examining yourself, from the Ten Commandments in Exodus to the "fruit of the spirit" in Galatians -- and God warns those who "fail to carry out all my commands" will be punished. (Lev. 26:15)

Isaiah writes about a time when "truth is fallen in the street.... yea, truth faileth." (Isa 59:14-15, KJV) How does this happen? Because "your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear." (v. 2) So you need to examine whether your failure is a result of sin in your life -- because sins even overtook David, causing failure for him. (Psm. 40:12)

One major factor to consider is your prayer life. Recall the closing words of Samuel to the nation of Israel: "As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you." (I Sam. 12:23) It's easy to become caught up in your own pressing needs during prayer times, and overlook the needs of those around you. The leaders of God's people could not afford to do that, and neither should we.

As I searched the scriptures on the topic of failure, I found myself convicted by a verse in Proverbs: "Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed." (Prv. 15:22) Several of my job changes over the years have occurred after prayer to God, but not really the counsel of other people. Yet herein lies a dilemma for Church of God members. Some have said ministerial counsel was overused and abused over the years -- yet the Churches by and large have done little to organize support or accountability groups, where people can discuss their plans in confidence and comfort outside a minister's.office.

However, here's one important thing to keep in mind: not all of the failures you face may be the result of sin. When people get up in years, the natural aging process can keep all of us from succeeding in things we did years ago. "...My strength fails because of my affliction, and my bones grow weak...." (Psm. 31:10; see also 38:10)

The Happy Failure

How should Christians respond, once they realize they've failed in some way in their lives? The natural response probably is to go to God prayerfully in contrition and humility, seeking His forgiveness and direction. Yet some startling advice on this is hidden in the Old Testament book of Habakkuk:

"Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls...." (now THIS is a bad year!) "....yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior." (Hab. 3:17-18)

Huh?!?! Rejoice when you're failing? On the surface, this guidance sounds ridiculous -- the sort of "positive thinking" mentality associated with a cult. Yet note Habukkuk's words carefully. You don't rejoice in the fact that you failed. You rejoice in the Lord - even though as we've seen, God may be responsible for the failing. That's because God is working out a purpose in our lives far bigger than we can see.

Consider a ministry trip of the apostle Paul. He admitted facing strong opposition to the gospel in Thessalonica, much as he had in a prior stop at Philippi. Yet he wrote to the Thessalonian church in positive terms: "You know, brothers, that our visit to you was not a failure.... with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in spite of strong opposition." (I Thes. 2:1-2) Whether some people wanted to hear Paul's message or not, at least it was proclaimed - so Paul did the job God gave him to do.

Perhaps there are lessons here for us. Do our lives reflect the gospel, even when we fail? Do we send the right message about God and Jesus in word and action, despite the opposition some may have to it? If so, we're doing our part to help keep others from failing - "looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God." (Heb. 12:15, KJV) Or as the Contemporary English Version puts it: "Make sure that no one misses out on God's wonderful kindness."

Conclusion

"Love never fails," Paul wrote quite simply in I Corinthians 13:8. The love of God and Jesus for believers is so "wide and long and high and deep" (Eph. 3:18) that the Godhead will go to amazing lengths to assure our ultimate success. And we have our part to play in that process:

* Jesus advised His disciples to "provide yourselves.... a treasure in the heavens that faileth not...." (Lk. 12:33, KJV)

* But don't simply focus on yourself. Pray for others not to fail, as Jesus did about Simon Peter's faith (Lk. 22:32)

* And if others around you do fail, remember another word of advice from Paul: "We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up." (Rom. 15:1-2)

It's often been said that there will be no place for losers in the Kingdom of God. If you feel like a losing failure right now, even as you attend church, rest assured you're not the only one. Prayerfully consider some of the verses we've mentioned, acknowledge whatever mistakes you've made - then rejoice in God for what He can still do in your life. After all, when Jesus comes to gather His family together, all of this life's failures will fade away (Rev 21:4) - as the ultimate success of all is built.

To reply to this article, e-mail: RBurkard@yahoo.com

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