Good morning!
Greetings in the name of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11)
Joshua had experienced his failure and sins, which were caused by his own self and ego. These came to him right after a huge victory, but he did not know, and he failed. Even during his failure, God was always with him and watched over him. Yes, Joshua suffered, but this was not the end of the story. God comforted, and the might hand of God always surrounded and protected Joshua in the mist of his troubling period. The goal was not to punish Joshua, but to make Joshua even stronger in faith before God. In fact, God had a grand plan for Joshua. It was a part of God’s plan — letting Joshua experience the failure and the true nature of his ego, which could be bigger than God. At that time, nobody could match Joshua’s faith, but Joshua failed miserably. After two big falls inflicted, which was inflicted by himself, Joshua clearly realized the power of his own ego, its sinfulness, and its consequences.
We all know that Joshua’s huge victory over Jericho was actually given by God. Yes, Joshua hardly fought against Jericho. He just circled the Jericho wall for seven days, and shouted and blew the horns in faith. Then God Himself fought for Joshua and the Israelites. However, after the huge victory, the faithful Joshua was deceived by himself. Right after the huge victory, he looked at Ali. it was much smaller than Jericho. It looked so easy to take over. Then without knowing what he was doing, he made a plan by himself how to attack Ai without asking God. It was the beginning of his fall. It must be very difficult for Joshua to ask God first after the huge victory. Why? Let’s ask to ourselves. We think we know, and we want to steer away our own life. That is, we want to be our own boss, and make our own decision. In reality, this process actually make us a slave to our own ego and pride, which demands more and more till we are completely exhausted. On the other hand, being a slave to God actually liberates from falling, failing and sinning before God because we are in His infinitely good hands. How subtle is the temptation of being our own master? Joshua, such a faithful person, had failed twice. Then how vulnerable are we?
Our failure is God’s opportunity. In His unfathomable love, God is patiently working hidden behind the scene. Like a parent who dearly loves, when absolutely needed, God carefully let His children go through falls and failures for us to feel the pains and the terrible after-taste of sins. God never allows for His children to be completely destroyed, which is not His purpose. Though the falls and failures, God continue leading us to grow into Him and increase our faith. Bible tells us, “And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.” (1 Corinthian 10:13b). Yes, God always provides a way out so that we can endure so that we can go through our pains, sins, falls and failures. Then why we cannot see His hand in the mist of the pains and falls? When we need most, God seems not there. A formidable storm hits so hard that everything that we have including relationship, possession, even faith is failing and falling off, but God seems not there and He seems not care. No, it is not true. God, who is infinitely good, never has done this to us. It is just our feeling, and the voice of our own fresh which is in pure desperation, being grinded by God’s mighty hand in order to be shaped properly, and ready and upright before God.
Then why do we fall ? Because we were higher than we supposed to be. If not, no way to fall because we are already at a safe place where we supposedly be or at the bottom. However, we are fall, and fall again and again in our lives. This vicious cycle tells the truth that we are at the place that we should not be. Also our repetitive falls makes us feel miserable.
However, the first thing that we want to remember is that we should not feel miserable. Every fall in our lives leads to God, and which in turn make us learn more about God and experience Him. This is the real truth about our fall behind the scene. Sure. At the time of fall, we feel miserable and even desperate. Don’t be discouraged because God is behind the scene for us. Thus, we should not be despaired nor disappointed. Feeling miserable is the first step. That is an essential ingredient. If we don’t feel miserable at our fall, then it is a really serious problem. There is no hope to see God in the misery. Thus, when we feel miserable, please remember God, who works behind the scene, and give thanks to God for Him to be there with us. Ironically, it is true that if we don’t fall, we don’t learn. Our miserable pain is the very power that makes us swim against our nature made of fresh and ego.
We also need to grow more in God. A baby does not grow at all is the biggest pain to a parent. God dearly wants our growth in faith. We know now no pain, no grow. If so, in order to grow, we fall in an increasing degree of the pain. Let say, if we take a same 1st grade’ exam again and again, it is so easy that we will always get 100% mark. Then the exam is not an exam anymore. We know exactly what will be asked, and we know exactly how to answer to get 100% mark. As we all know, exams of the 2nd grade are harder than the exams prepared for 1st graders. The 3rd grade’s exams are more difficult then those of the 2ndgrade. The 4th grade’s exams are even more difficult, and so on. Yes, the exams are getting harder as we are getting into a higher grade. As a result, for students for each grade, exams are always difficult. This simple observation gives a great insight about how our God, the Ever-Loving Father works on us to grow in Him. Our falls are more severe and more painful as we grow in Him. Let’s remember that our fall is that:
1. God let us to go into our fall so that God can use it to make us know more about God and go into a deeper relationship with God.
2. The specific fall is that God has specially designed for us. Additionally, it is harder and more difficult than anything that we had experienced before.
Mysteriously, our fall is a part of God plan for us to learn and grow in faith. In need, we inflicted our fall, but God uses it to fulfill His good plan for us. Our fall and associated pain is not a punishment, but God’s love toward for us.
Then how to respond to our failure and pain? Rejoice because it is the very moment that God can freely mold us without any hindrance. At the fall, we are scared. Our Ego immediately ran away to hide. Our God’s loving hands are completely freed so that His hands can work on us by molding and transforming us. Our painful heart is fully open to God. This is the best time for God to build us following His plan. What we dearly value most in our lives might be chipped away by His mighty chisel. Our mouth might have to swallow a bitter pain. We may be forced to embrace what we don’t like to embrace. Yes, nothing is pleasant at that time. Going thought it alone is literally impossible. Nobody can endure by own self. Here is a fantastic news. This is the time that God’s love manifests most strongly. God, who dearly loves, stretches His mighty and loving hand, and hold tight us so that we can go through the fall and pain. Although it comes as a life storm, we can sail through with Him with the power of the Holy Spirit.
If we fail, then please stop and resist our own response from our fresh and ego – making every effort to get out of the fall and pain by our own wisdom and might. Instead,
1. Be still before God
2. Fully and truly recognize God, who dearly loves us.
“Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10a)
Is it easy to be still, and fully and truly recognize God especially when we are in a life storm? No. Absolutely not. We love to be at the helm of our own life small ship in a huge storm to continue steering away from the storm. On the contrary, in fact, we are getting deeper into the storm, although we might temporarily feel opposite. This is the time that releasing absolutely everything in our life to God. This is the first step. Then fix our eyes on Him in faith, and trust God, who is infinitely good. Our fall, failure, pain, disaster, hardship is so severe that there is no word to explain at that time, but God’s love is surer and always. Why? We are God’s beloved children. God will never give up His own children. God’s unfathomably strong love was already demonstrated at the cross where He scarified Jesus Christ, the only son, for us. This is the reason why we can rejoice in our fall, failure, pain, desperation and our formidable life storm. This is the triumphant moment in our lives in faith. It is, in turn, the unforgettable moment that we have just received our passing grade before God, which God dearly wants for us to have.
Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)