When You Fail God

I'm still thinking about Moses, and his life, especially his early life. I can't seem to get away from it. He was born in perilous times, miraculously spared and preserved. He was educated in his enemy's palace, indoctrinated with idolatry, yet God watched over his heart. When Moses grew up, somehow he knew the Israelite people were his own. He was aware of their suffering, he'd always known this, but something happened in his heart that caused him to want to deliver them from their suffering and oppression. This had to be an operation of God in his heart. Moses had it good, his life was easy, comfortable, luxurious. He was well educated, powerful in word and deed, because of his position in the family of the Pharaoh.

God had a plan for this man's life, to use him greatly to deliver a nation of people from cruel bondage and oppression. Moses hadn't learned to wait on God, and didn't understand what to do with what the Lord was revealing to him. God was showing him truth, and Moses responded in the wrong way to what God showed him. In short, he handled it badly.

Act 7:22 And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds.
Act 7:23 And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel.
Act 7:24 And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian:
Act 7:25 For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them: but they understood not.

Moses had a desire to serve God. He had a burden for God's people-God had shown him their suffering. God had shown him that by his hand God would deliver these people. But Moses acted in his own strength, to try to deliver them, and murdered an Egyptian. What a burden to bear-to have shed the blood of another. What a failure he must have felt for now he had to run for his life. How he must have heard the enemy whisper --well, you sure blew it. God did have a plan for your life, but you blew it. You killed somebody. You sinned bad. God can't use you now, you have blood on your hands. It must have been awful, the taunts of the enemy whispering in his mind.

Moses ends up in a wilderness, a dry, desert place. He ends up taking care of someone else's sheep. He learned that desert, and in the process lost all confidence in himself and his own ability to do anything for God.

Moses was a failure, but in spite of his sin, God forgave him and used his life to deliver others. When I'm sure Moses thought he blew any chance he might have had to make a difference, to be used of God, to glorify God with his life, God still had a plan. He did not abandon his plan because Moses acted rashly, in himself, and sinned.

Rom 15:4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.


In His great mercy, God had a record written of the lives of some people he used in His Word. Some started good and ended bad. Some started bad and ended good. He knew we would make mistakes, and He had these things written so He could point them out to us and whisper peace to our hearts when we are broken and mourn over our failures. When the enemy has assaulted us with his lies, with accusations, and our own hearts condemn us for our weakness and failures, the Lord can whisper, "I forgave Moses and he killed a man. Will I not also forgive you?" He sees the repentant heart. He knows the pain and misery there. He hears the cry of the broken heart that loves Him and knows that love is flawed, but wants to serve Him and be yielded to His will. He knows. Don't quit, don't give up and don't lose hope. Turn to the Word of God, and wait on Him.

That word for patience means to endure some things. There are some things we will have to endure, and they won't always be pleasant. But oh, in our trials, in enduring the dry, desert places that are to strip us of self, and confidence in human strength and reasoning, we will suffer. It's a hard place to be. But through enduring patiently these things, because we have the testimony of the Word of God, we can find the comfort in His Word, and that comfort builds and preserves hope.

That's a precious word, 'comfort'. G3874 Paraklesis. It means solace, to call one to come near so they can be exhorted, and helped in their hour of need. He draws us to His Word so He can reveal Himself to us, and minister encouragement to our hearts. Sometimes when we have failed Him miserably, we will have to press through the lies in our minds, the resistance of self, the doubts, and guilt, and fear. We have to remember He said whosoever comes to Me, I will not cast out. (Joh 6:37) He said call upon Me in the day of trouble and I will deliver you and you will glorify Me. (Psa 50:15)

That word "deliver" means to strip, equip, strengthen and arm. Hallelujah!!! Look it up yourself, H2502 in your concordance. Praise the Lord! He will deliver, he will strip us of confidence in ourselves and our ability apart from Him, He will equip us for the spiritual conflict that attacks our faith and position in Christ, and He will strengthen us so we can endure, and stand, and He will arm us with His truth to protect us and keep us. He is the Power that keeps us through faith, because we are kept through faith by the power of God!

When Jeremiah was in a prison for preaching the truth, and warning the people, God spoke to him and said "Call unto Me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things you do not know." (Jer 33:3) Things he could never know apart from the Lord revealing these truths to him. Things that are inaccessible apart from a divinely given understanding.

He says for us to cry out to Him, He will look upon us and hear us, He will respond and begin to speak truth to our heart that will sustain us! Glory to His Name! If you have been struggling with depression, fear, anxiety, a sense of failure, I pray you can hear the voice of the Lord calling you to come. Come to His mercy, come to His promises, come to His love. They that wait in His presence, upon Him, will be renewed and strengthened. Amen? Amen!