Why Does God Allow Us to Fail?
Three reasons a good God allows us to struggle
Sometimes, God allows us to fail when we aren’t obedient
We’re born with a sinful, imperfect nature, and oftentimes we disobey God. But disobedience to God is different from disobedience to human authority.
James 4:17 (ESV) says:
“So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”
Any disobedience to God is sin, and God does punish sin. Oftentimes, if we’re disobedient, God allows us to fail.
This was the case for Jonah. In the first few verses of the book of Jonah, it is written:
“Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, ‘Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.’ But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.” (Jonah 1:1–3, CSB)
Jonah received specific instructions from God, but he wasn’t on board with the plan. Instead of going to Nineveh as he was told, he jumped on a ship and tried to flee to Tarshish. While he was on the sea, God sent a great storm, and Jonah ended up in the belly of a fish. He was disobedient, so God allowed him to fail.
Sometimes, God allows us to fail so that we realize our need for Him
In Matthew 14, after Jesus had finished feeding the 5,000, he sent the disciples out on a boat while he remained on the shore with the crowds. When nightfall came, Jesus walked out on the water to meet the disciples.
“Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea.
But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, ‘It is a ghost!’ and they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.’ And Peter answered him, ‘Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.’ He said, ‘Come.’ So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, ‘Lord, save me.’” (Matthew 14:22–30, CSB)
We see here that Peter was obedient. When Jesus called him out on the water, he stepped out of the boat and began to walk. But, when Peter looked around and became scared, he began to sink. Jesus didn’t let him drown, but He did let him fail at first so that Peter would realize his need for Him.
Sometimes, God allows us to fail so that His power can be displayed
In Exodus 7, Moses and Aaron are told to go before Pharaoh and ask for the release of the Israelites. They had been promised freedom repeatedly but were only being oppressed more and more, with no end in sight.
“And the Lord said to Moses, ‘See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet. You shall speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron shall tell Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go out of his land. But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, Pharaoh will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring my hosts, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment.’” (Exodus 7:1–4, ESV)
In this situation, not only did God allow Moses and Aaron to fail, but He made them fail. They received specific instructions on what to do: go before Pharaoh, and tell him to let the Israelites go. Later, the Lord instructs them to perform a miracle before Pharaoh, which they do as instructed — but the Israelites remained in captivity.
Why would a good, loving God make them fail, when they had followed his instructions exactly?
God had Moses and Aaron fail, so that His power could be displayed. Rather than Moses and Aaron being the ones who convinced Pharaoh, it would be God, through “great acts of judgement.”
Earthly struggles do not mean God has failed
We serve a perfect, all-powerful God. Pain doesn’t mean He has failed. Sickness doesn’t mean He has failed. Even death doesn’t mean He has failed. All of the evils of this world were brought in by sin; the result of our failure.
The good news is the sorrows of this world won’t last forever. There will be a day when,
“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:4, ESV)
