3月26日

標　　題： 面對失敗

經　　節： 耶穌對他們說：「你們都要跌倒了，因為經上記著說：我要擊打牧人，羊就分散了。」（馬可福音十四章27節）

當你跟隨耶穌，你會面對許多心靈劇痛的時刻。有時，每件事情的發生都好像同謀整你，破壞你與祂的關係。你不是肇事者，但環境中興起許多反對勢力。無論如何，失敗是最終的結果。在耶穌被捕、釘十字架的那個夜晚，門徒在主面對如此兇暴的反對勢力時，他們全都拋棄了耶穌。

彼得自誇決不背棄耶穌（馬可福音十四：29∼31）。然而，耶穌甚至在事前就向門徒擔保整件事是不可避免的。聖經早已預言，神老早知道門徒會拋棄祂的愛子，祂一點也不詫異。祂已為他們的弱點作好準備，知道祂終究會培育他們成為使徒，敢放膽傳福音、行神跡，並且教導他人。後來，當復活的主在海邊遇見彼得時，祂沒有要求彼得認罪悔改，祂要他表白對祂的愛（約翰福音廿一：15∼17）。

你可能會害怕自己的罪令神大吃一驚。也許你曾像彼得保證自己與神站在同一邊，卻是失敗了。神知道你會背棄祂，就像當初知道第一代使徒會背棄自己。當你失敗時，祂的恩典夠你用。不要以為自己的失敗比較大或是過於複雜，以致神不能處理。如果你所面對的挑戰，似乎過於自己能擔當，不要喪膽，神早已預見你的困難，也為你預備了出路（哥林多前書十：13）。

Facing Failure

Then Jesus said to them, "All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written. . ." (Mark 14:27)

As you follow Jesus you will face moments of great distress. At times it will seem that events conspire to cause you to stumble in your relationship with Him. You do not initiate them, but they arise from opposition or the intensity of your circumstances. Nevertheless, failure is the end result. The disciples faced such fierce opposition to their Lord that they all failed Him on the night Jesus was crucified.

Peter boasted that he was incapable of forsaking Jesus (Mark 14:29–31). Yet Jesus assured the disciples even before their failure that it was inevitable. The Scriptures had prophesied it. God always knew the disciples would fail His Son; He wasn’t caught by surprise. He had made provision for their shortcomings, knowing He would eventually develop them into apostles who would fearlessly preach the gospel, perform miracles, and teach others. Later, when the risen Christ encountered Peter on the seashore, He did not ask Peter for a confession of his sin, but a confession of his love (John 21:15–17).

You may fear that your failure has caught God by surprise. Perhaps you promised, like Peter, to stand with the Lord, but you failed. God was just as aware that you would fail Him as He was with the original disciples. He has made provision to respond every time you stumble. Don’t think that somehow your failures are bigger or more complex than any God has dealt with. If you are facing challenges that seem overwhelming, don’t be discouraged. God has already foreseen them and prepared for them (1 Cor. 10:13).