In the 1950's, five men, young, enthusiastic, and in the prime of life, felt a call to tell people about Jesus. They began reaching out, sending gifts to this tribe of people widely known for being withdrawn and using force without provocation. Hearts pounding, nervous grins on their faces, these five men went out one day to make contact and meet these people face-to-face. Their first encounter was successful. They returned a second time, eager to continue building the relationships that had begun to form. All five were killed by people who had been friendly mere days earlier.
Makes our failures sound a little trifling, doesn't it? At least we're still alive.
What if these five young missionaries, Jim Elliot and Nate Saint among them, had paused to ask, "What if?" What if they had asked, "What if we fail?" "What if they don't want to see us?" "What if this doesn't do any good?" "What if we die?"
They probably did ask those questions. I guarantee you their wives asked them. And they went anyway, even knowing the worst that could happen. The worst happened, they failed, and they seemed to have accomplished nothing.
The Lie
"If you fail this, your life is over."
You fail this test? You'll fail the class. You'll drop out of school. You'll never make anything of yourself. Your life is over.
You fail to impress this person? You'll never make any friends. You'll be a recluse the rest of your life. Your life is over.
You fail to obey God? God will leave you. You won't be under His protection. You'll be open to attack on every side, and you'll probably go to hell. Your life is over.
The "Even If"
"Even if you fail, life will go on, and it is an opportunity to see the Lord bring about His redemptive plan in your life."
You fail this test? Yes, you might fail the class. You might even have to drop out of school (although the answers we come up with to our what-ifs are rarely grounded in reality and what we know is likely to happen). But even if that happens, do you truly believe God cannot find you there? He still loves you. He has a plan for you. If you believe He is limited by a test, or an interview or an application or a business venture, you are worshiping the wrong God.
You fail to impress this person? They might not be your friend. But Jesus Christ is. He has no need to be impressed by you. Even knowing all your dirty little secrets and the times you walk into walls when nobody's around, He still calls you friend (John 15:15). He will be sufficient in the midst of a lost chance. Who knows but that that relationship could have been harmful for you. He has deemed you do not need it; rest there.
You fail to obey God? Tread softly here. Fear of the Lord is the only fear we are given permission to have -- in fact, commanded to have. "Let them fear death who do not fear sin," wrote Thomas Watson. Sinning should not be comfortable, and perhaps we should be a little afraid of it. But "fear has to do with punishment," and we no longer stand condemned who are in Christ Jesus (1 John 4:18, Romans 8:1). That is not license to continue sinning; that is freedom (Romans 6:1-2).
God cannot change. He loved you once, He will love you always. He protected you once, He will protect you always. It is not dependent on you. Fear God, but do not fear His wrath. It has been already spent.
And if you fear the barrage of temptation that is thrown at us every day, stand upon the promise of God that He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you can bear (1 Corinthians 10:13). There is no need to fear temptation. There is an escape; you just have to call upon the One who knows what it is. I guarantee you He will help you find it.
The story of the missionaries did not end with their deaths. Rachel Saint and Elisabeth Elliot returned to the men who had killed their brother and husband, with full knowledge that they could meet the same fate. They did not. They loved and shared the Gospel with this tribe that had given them every reason to retaliate in anger, and because of it, lives were changed. Failure was turned into success beyond anyone's wildest dreams.
The God who "gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were" is not troubled by failure (Romans 4:17). He doesn't sit down with a puzzled expression, thinking, "I was really banking on her passing that final. I'm totally stumped about where to go from here," "If he'd only answered that interview question, then maybe I would have something to work with," or perhaps, "Man, now that those guys killed My missionaries, I can't do a thing!" How much credit we give ourselves! He already knew. He already has it all worked out. Failure isn't the end. After all, Jesus had one of the most victorious lives ever, yet He appeared to have a real problem with failure. He didn't show up to Lazarus' sick bed and heal him. He had issues getting the Sabbath quite right the way the Pharisees wanted. He didn't even get Himself down from a cross after being mocked and beaten! Talk about a humiliating failure for a supposedly infallible God.
"This sickness will not end in death," He said of Lazarus (John 11:4). He didn't say it wouldn't include death.
Your life will not end in failure. Not when it is fully, completely surrendered to the One who delights in making beauty out of ashes -- but that does not mean it will not include failure. If we always succeeded, we might fall victim to thinking we could do this life on our own. Let us do our best, unto the Lord, and then allow Him to redeem our inevitable failures. We would miss out on a true delight in the supernatural if we never had anything for Him to miraculously work for our good.
"It was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory; it was Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your face, for You loved them." | Psalm 44:3
