Never Fail

"And now I am about to go the way of all the earth, and you know in your hearts and souls, all of you, that not one word has failed of all the good things that the LORD your God promised concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one of them has failed.”—Joshua 23:14

Have you ever seen the movie Armageddon? In this science fiction film starring Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck, a group of characters is sent into outer space to destroy a humanity-killing asteroid hurtling toward earth. Their plan involves planting a nuclear bomb on the asteroid, escaping via their space shuttle and then blowing it up when they are a safe distance away. But their plan fails, making remote detonation impossible. Time dictates that it must be done immediately, so the only alternative they have is for one of them to stay behind and detonate the bomb once the shuttle is a safe distance away, thus killing himself in the process. That character ends up being Harry Stamper, played by Bruce Willis. As the space shuttle leaves him behind, and the crew on the shuttle waits anxiously for him to detonate, time is passing. If Harry doesn’t detonate in the next few moments, then hope would be lost for earth. Fearful of Harry failing, the pilot is ready to cut the engines of the shuttle, return to the asteroid, and blow it up himself. Ben Affleck’s character stops the pilot and says, “Harry'll do it. I know it. He doesn't know how to fail.” It is then that the asteroid blows up and Harry saves the day.

God doesn’t know how to fail. He is faithful in His person and He is faithful in His promises. His promises will come to pass. Whenever God makes a promise, He will be faithful to complete it. In today’s passage, Joshua speaks to the nation of Israel after they conquered the Promised Land. He tells them that not one thing God has promised has failed. Every single thing has come to pass.

Our God cannot fail. His Word cannot be thwarted, even though wickedness appears to continue on unabated. Even as man invents new kinds of evil and does everything in his power to eradicate or redefine God and His presence among men, it matters not! Because God will bring to pass everything that He has purposed, planned, and promised.

Take heart, loved one! Don’t despair at the trial you are facing and the wickedness you see going on in the world! Know that God will accomplish everything He has set forth in His word! He will reward you for your service and sacrifice. Nothing that you have done in His name has gone unnoticed! He will come again! And not one of His promises will go unanswered! Trust in Him, cast your cares upon Him, and never forget—He will not fail! Amen.