Failure – Acceptance or Denial

My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness. 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NLT)

2 Samuel chapters 11 and 12 recount the story of David and Bathsheba. David becomes entangled in an adulterous affair with Bathsheba. When she becomes pregnant, he tries to cover up his affair. He gives Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband, a soldier fighting in the war with the Ammonites, permission to take a short leave from the battlefield. He hopes he will sleep with his wife so that he will be exonerated. Uriah, however, refuses to sleep in the comfort of his own bed while his fellow soldiers are on the battlefield.

 

When this doesn’t work, David goes a step further. He orders Uriah to be placed in the line of fire on the battlefield. When Uriah is killed, David takes the grieving widow as his wife and carries on with his life. For David, it is business as usual. He dismisses his sinful behaviour. Until Nathan, the prophet, confronts him with his moral failure. David can no longer bury his head in the sand and confesses what he has done. He accepts that he has failed morally.

 

Jesus Knows Our Weakness

Our failures may not necessarily be moral failures, as was the case with David. Failures come in many forms. We fail exams. We fail at building a successful business. We fail at performing well at work. When they happen, some of us will want to bury our heads in the sand, as David did and hope it will all go away. We have a hard time accepting that we have failed. We cannot accept the weaknesses that have caused us to fail. But Jesus knows our weaknesses (Hebrews 4:14-16). And He is there waiting for us to come boldly to His throne of grace so that we can receive His mercy. So that He can lead us to a place of acceptance and release our weaknesses to Him.

So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. Hebrews 4:16 (NLT)

It is at His throne of grace that we receive His grace that is sufficient for us. His power, that is perfected in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). His power will work through us when we give Him our weaknesses. Where there is pride, He will teach us humility (1 Peter 5:6). Where there is materialism, he will teach us to seek first His kingdom (Matthew 6:33). Where there is selfish ambition, He will teach us not only to look out for our own interests (Philippians 2:3-4).

His power will help us to move from denial to acceptance so that we can move forward and see the new thing  He has for us.

For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland. Isaiah 43:19 (NLT)

 

Reflection:

Are there weaknesses in your life that you need to give to God?

Prayer:

Lord, I accept the failures in my life. I give You my weaknesses so that Your power can work through me. Heal me and restore me. Help me to see the new thing You have for me. In Jesus’ name, amen.