Receiving God’s grace when you fail is a blessing from the Lord. It lifts us out of the muck and mire and places us on solid ground. Grace is God’s undeserved love and is not something we deserve but a gift from the Lord.
We fail and must confess our sins to God and ask for forgiveness. How has the Lord used your failures to bring you to repentance and forgiveness? The Bible contains stories about people who failed and received God’s grace. Abraham failed when he tried to build the Savior’s line through his maidservant Hagar instead of waiting on God’s timing. Abraham received God’s grace, and Isaac was born to him in his old age. King David failed when he took another man’s wife and killed her husband in battle. David confessed his sin when the prophet Nathan confronted him, and through grace, God restored him.
The Lord Extends Grace to Peter
The evening before Jesus died on the cross, Peter denied Jesus three times, just as the Lord predicted. Peter’s denial of Jesus was dramatic and heartbreaking. When we fail, we sometimes wonder if the Lord will forgive us. Our enemy, satan, loves to put lies in our minds; he tells us God will not forgive us. As we repent of our sins, the Lord will forgive us. Ref.1 John 1:9.
On the day Jesus was resurrected, Peter’s failure was fresh in his mind, yet the angel the women encountered at the tomb had good news for Peter. Mark 16:6 But the angel said, “Don’t be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Look, this is where they laid his body. 7 Now go and tell his disciples, including Peter, that Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you before he died.” [1] The angel mentioned Peter’s name, assuring him that the Lord was extending grace.
The Lord Teaches Through our Failures
Failures can be our greatest teachers as they humble us and prepare our hearts to receive more profound things from God. In my life, the Lord has used my failures to show me His grace and bring good from them by helping me learn. What did the Lord teach you through your failures, and how did that affect you?
Psalm 40:2 He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along. [2]As the Lord lifts us during our failures, He shows us His love, compassion, and patience. Our failures demonstrate how much we need to depend on Him. If you have failed, take heart, look to the Lord, and surrender to Him because He is waiting to embrace you with His loving arms.
To hear about receiving God’s grace when you fail, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/mark-the-tomb-is-still-empty
[1] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Mk 16:6–7). Tyndale House Publishers.
[2] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Ps 40:2). Tyndale House Publishers.