Failure could be the best thing for your faith

If you find yourself in a Silent Saturday season—where the weight of loss is real, where God’s presence feels distant, where answers have not yet come—take heart. The waiting, your waiting, has an expiration date. — Scott Sauls

We never know the depth of what’s going in the lives of people we encounter. I try to keep this in mind when someone seems unnaturally cheerful, aloof, overly sarcastic, or downright rude. Reversing the concept also helps me in my own “Silent Saturday seasons” to refrain from glaring at people who are oblivious to what I’m going through. You can’t act on what you don’t know.

There are times in life (or there will be) when a burden you’re carrying seems too massive to even begin to share details about. Sometimes, it is okay to ask others to pray as the Spirit leads, trusting God knows and Jesus prays on our behalf. That said, I do recommend having at least one person to share everything with — we are not made to go it alone.¹

…the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And He who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God (Romans 8:26-27 ESV).

When Jesus told Simon Peter that Satan had demanded to have the disciples so he could sift them like wheat,² Jesus didn’t say, Don’t worry; I denied Satan’s request. I gotchu, bro. He said, “but I prayed [specifically] for you [Peter], that your faith may not fail” (Luke 22:31-32). Jesus prayed for Peter to stand firm in his faith. Then He told him, “And you, when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers” (v 32 CSB). It’s right there in the subtext: When you return to Me after being tested…

Jesus knew Peter was going to turn away, that he would fail the test.

Peter denied knowing Jesus three times in a row, just like Jesus told him he would right after their “I prayed for you” conversation (Luke 22:34). Peter was understandably fearful when faced with the visceral reality of being tortured and killed for knowing the Jewish Rabbi.

He wasn’t ready. And Jesus knew this, which is why He prayed that Peter’s faith might not fail. Peter’s faith was small, but he did have faith.

So Jesus, knowing Peter’s heart, the mind of the Spirit, and the will of God, prayed for what Peter needed most: to hold onto faith.

Failing a test does not mean you lose your faith. It’s an opportunity to turn back to the Lord.

After His death and resurrection, Jesus personally restored relationship with Peter, renewed his spirit, and affirmed his calling according to the will of God. As many times as Peter denied Jesus (John 18:15-18, 25-27), the Lord confirmed Peter’s love for Him and gave Peter purpose in God’s kingdom on earth. With a stronger faith than before, Peter was ready to totally follow Jesus in word and action.

Peter already believed Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God (Matthew 16:15-16). But his failure gave him the humility he would need to serve the Lord wholeheartedly, and his faith became unshakable when Jesus rose from the grave.

Jesus’ prayer accomplished exactly what He purposed from the beginning — to build His church on Peter so that the gates of hell will not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18).

Imagine if Peter had been spared the humiliation and shame of denying the Lord. Maybe he could’ve lived to boast about sticking by the Messiah to the very end. Maybe he would’ve been crucified alongside Jesus. Whatever the outcome, somehow he would not have been equipped for the work God had for him.

Whatever you’re walking through in this season, I pray your faith will not fail. May the Lord continue to transform our failures into deeper faith. And let us remember that failure is human. Faith is supernatural.

Captured by Anna Jones

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The Fortnightly

A bi-weekly offering of music, tasty food, interesting reading, and some moments that needed capturing.

TUNES

Currently loving the new Mumford and Sons album.

ON THE MENU

For most of my life, my palate stuck to the four main food groups: Mexican, Italian, American, and Chinese takeout. I still enjoy all of those, but after moving to Northern Virginia, I was joyfully introduced to Thai, Korean, Ethiopian, all things Mediterranean, and Indian cuisine. Some dishes have obscure ingredients and are better enjoyed in a restaurant, but this 30 Minute Spicy Indian Butter Chicken recipe from Half Baked Harvest tastes better than carryout IMO.

The only downside is that it most definitely takes way more than 30 minutes. I’ve made the recipe with cream and with coconut milk; with chicken breast and chicken thighs; all ways are delicious. Be sure to read the recipe through before starting your prep because most of the seasonings are divided. I never use as much cayenne as she calls for. User’s preference. You can skip the cilantro if you don’t have any on hand, but it’s better with. Reheats well, too!

WHAT I’M READING

This excerpt from an old article by Tish Harrison Warren couples nicely with today’s topic. ♡

The disciples had little hope to offer anyone, except that of a resurrected Messiah—an idea so preposterous, so unimaginable, that even they didn't believe it until they saw the risen Christ themselves. When they did, their lives were changed. The early church was birthed, proclaiming the unlikely good news that Jesus is the hope of the world, eternal, unchanging, Risen.

This terrible, comforting subplot of Holy Week reminds us that from the beginning, those who proclaim Christ were as broken and fearful as we are. And yet, in the providence of God, I find the testimony of these men more compelling because of their failures and their surprising transformation than I otherwise would.³

MOMENTS

Roux staking her claim on me; my favorite spot on the porch; my guys on a sunny day walk.

Be well, friends.

1. This could be a friend, a counselor, or anyone you feel safe with. | “Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2).

2. Eugene Peterson’s interpretation, “Satan has tried his best to separate all of you from me, like chaff from wheat” gets at the heart of Satan’s purpose.

3. “The Epic Jesus Follower Fail” by Tish Harrison Warren, for Christianity Today, April 16, 2014, https://www.christianitytoday.com/2014/04/epic-jesus-follower-fail/.