Fear After Failure Flourishes The Future

“Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him: But it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days, which are as a shadow; because he feareth not before God.” (Ec 8:12-13 AV)

One wonders sometimes why the LORD puts up with the saints when we fail Him so often.  In my own life, I can meditate on so many times I deeply failed God, yet He didn’t chasten me as severely as one would think warranted the situation.  Even further, one wonders why the LORD simply doesn’t put us out of our misery and call our life if all we do is fail one choice after another.  Why would He put up with such disappointment?  What is the difference between the sinner and the wicked?  Is it the volume of sin?  Or, it is our response to our sin?

What the world cannot understand is how one person can sin and be right with God and another cannot.  Why is it that the failing Christian can claim a relationship with the LORD will the lost, living in the same transgression, cannot claim a relationship with God?  How is it that there are saints embroiled in wickedness, yet go to church and read their bibles while still having some joy of heart while the lost look on, call the believer a hypocrite (which he is) but judge themselves as better people because at least they don’t call themselves Christian.  Don’t misunderstand me.  Sin is sin and all sin is wicked.  The difference is how the believer reacts to his sin as compared with the wicked and their reaction to the same sin.  In the above passage, the sinner can sin hundreds of times, but if he fears God, then God blesses.  What does that mean?  It means the sinner who fears God will seek forgiveness and strive to overcome his sin.  It does not mean he will be successful.  It merely means he knows that when he sins he does so against God.  Therefore, he bows in accountability to God.  The wicked do not do so.  When they are wicked, the have no concern over what that LORD thinks or how He feels.  There is no forgiveness sought and no victory desired.  This is the difference.

This truth should be an encouragement to those who walk with God.  Specially those who have a passion for perfection.  Those who are discouraged because they fail far more than they succeed, need to remember that God’s grace in response to our fear is what measures our walk.  Not necessarily always making the right choices.  This is not license to sin.  No, sir!  It is the light at the end of the tunnel.  God seeks those who will fear Him.  If we do, then we will walk less and less in the path of the sinner and more and more in the path of the saint.