He Will Not Fail You!

He Will Not Fail You!
By Shirley Mitchell

"My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."
Psalm 73:26

Psalm 73:26 tells us that there will be times that our heart and flesh will fail us. Our hearts, the seat of our emotions and from which all living flows, may get discouraged and betray us. Our bodies will give out on us, and we won't be able to take another step on the journey of life. But God will never fail us.

In Deuteronomy 31:6-8 (KJV), Moses turns the reins of the leadership of Israel to Joshua. He tells him to "be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.for thou must go with this people unto the land which the LORD hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it. And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed." In Joshua 1 after Moses' death, God reaffirms to Joshua that He will never leave his side nor fail him. He says in verses 5-6 (KJV), "There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them."
The Hebrew transliteration for the word "fail" is raphah. It means "to sink, relax, sink down, let drop, to be disheartened, to refrain, let alone, to show oneself slack." At the end of Joshua's life, Joshua agreed that God had kept His promise to never leave him. God proved trustworthy to Joshua to not be afraid of his enemies. Joshua 23:14 says, "Now I am about to go the way of all the earth. You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the LORD your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed."
1 Kings 8:56 says, "Praise be to the LORD, who has given rest to his people Israel just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses." Lamentations 3:22 says, "Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail." Isaiah 51:6 says, "Lift up your eyes to the heavens, look at the earth beneath; the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment and its inhabitants die like flies. But my salvation will last forever, my righteousness will never fail." Acts 5:38-39 says, "Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God."

We may fail. Our hearts and our flesh may fail. Glory to God, He never fails. He never falls short. He is never inferior. He never deserts us. He can't show Himself slack. He does not get disheartened. He doesn't drop us. His compassions are never insufficient. I have felt worthy of being dropped, but He never gave up on me. What a God!

My precious friend Andrea is such a godly woman through whom God has done so many amazing things. Let me tell you something that she said that made me laugh so hard. She said jokingly, "I don't think I ever want my life to be a book. I know what it would say. 'She failed. She failed again. She failed yet again, but God never failed her.' " Now, doesn't that just sum it up? Actually, she has what you and I need. She has the perseverance to keep going even if we make a mistake. We aren't called to be perfect; we are just called to love, trust, learn, and pursue.

If our activity is of human origin, there is a real possibility it will fail. However, if you and I are in the process of fulfilling our callings, we may have lessons along the way to rid us of arrogance and jealousy, to unveil future things to us, and to bring us into accordance with God's heart. Yet, the overall calling will be fulfilled. When we walk in obedience, our callings can't be thwarted by human hands. Hallelujah!

Pray with me: Oh, Lord, You are God. From ancient days You are He. No one can deliver out of Your hand. When You act, no one can reverse it (Isaiah 43:12-13). Only You can tell us the future before it even happens. Everything You plan will come to pass, for You do whatever You wish (Isaiah 46:10 NLT). God, help us to be strong and be courageous like Joshua. Burn into our hearts and minds that You will never leave us nor forsake us and that You will not FAIL US! Hallelujah! It's in the Name above all names, in Jesus' Name, Yeshua's Name, we pray. Amen.