RISING ABOVE FAILURE 

“So, David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?” And He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.” – I Samuel 30:8

REFERENCE:

I Samuel 30:1-8

There is hardly a successful man that never went through a season of failure or setback. It is their response that determines their outcomes in life. When we see people at the top of the ladder, we never think that they may have fallen back several times on the rung before getting to the top. David was and still is a celebrated leader. However, this account shows a time of loss, failure, and depression. It was a defining moment in the life and leadership of David.

Why talk about failure? Because it is a part of life, and many are unprepared for it. Many people hit by failure are contemplating suicide, but it ought not to be so. Thomas Edison said, “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” A young man asked his father how to find success; he told him to keep going, that when he finds failure, then he will find success.

The dictionary defines failure as ‘falling short in performing an expected action. Lack of success. Giving way under stress.’ Someone who has failed can also be called a failure, but that is not who you are. As a child of God, failure is not your fate; it is a state that will change. It is not strange for things that look like failures to happen sometimes. Events that look like reversals may happen, but remember, “Failure lives close to success.” If you suffer a setback, do not take a step back; instead, let it be a setup for your comeback.

A feeling of failure comes from rejection at interviews, loss of investments, jobs, loved ones, or relationships. It comes from failure in exams, business, ministry, relationships, or marriage. Do not let your failure turn into a breakdown but a breakthrough. Winston Churchill said, “Success consists of going from failure to failure without the loss of enthusiasm.” Since failure is common to man, why are some people permanently broken by it, while others rise from it to make a great success out of their lives? It is how they respond and what they do when failure comes.

David’s men were dealing with the devastating blow of failure. They had lost their properties, businesses, children, and wives. They wept until they could no longer. Angry and suicidal (or should I say, homicidal), they thought of stoning David to death. David was in distress. Yet, this saga led to one of the greatest stories of bouncing back from a place of failure and loss. David took steps that led to the great recovery of all they lost. These steps are responsible for the difference between average people and achieving people. We will look at them tomorrow.

PHOTO QUOTE:

ADDITIONAL TEXTS:

I Samuel 30:17-20, Proverbs 24:16 & Psalm 37:24

PRAYERS:

+ Ask God to give you the proper perspective on failure. Instead of seeing it as a failure, you will see it as a temporary setback.

+ Tell God and announce to yourself, “I commit to bounce back no matter what confronts me this year.” I am not of those who give in to failure, I keep striving until my miracle comes.

+ Lord, this season, I ask You to give me beauty for ashes and gladness for mourning.