Failure Is Not Final

Image by KevinLallier via Flickr

Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.
Luke 22:31

I once heard the quote "God never gets disillusioned with us as He never had any illusions in the first place!" There is a reassurance that God, knowing all about us with all our faults and weaknesses, still chose to save us and comission us in His service.

It's interesting to note here in this scripture that Jesus prayer was not that Peter wouldn't fail, but that his faith would not fail. Jesus had confidence in Peter that he would respond to the trial with an unfailing faith and that he would be restored.

I have a real problem with failure. I have the feeling that I have surprised and shocked God yet again with my inadequacy. But the truth is He knows me better than I know myself. He knows every word before I say it and every action before I make it. I have been encouraged recently to recognise that failure is never final and that these times of trial and temptation are to sift us. They have a very important purpose. I wonder if Peter would have been able to stand up on the Day of Pentecost and be so wonderfully used of God if he had not been through such testing?

Satan wants to remove faith from me but every time I get back up and learn from my fall, he is defeated yet again.