A PRAYER FOR HOPE BEYOND FAILURE

For many years Charles Swindoll has been one of my favorite preachers. When he preached at Fullerton, California I went to hear him peach any time I was in the area on Sunday. He now lives and preaches in Texas. I continue to listen to him on the radio and read his books. Today I was going to post something from his splendid book, Hope Again: When Life Hurts And Dreams Fade. I came across one of his prayers in the beginning of the book. I was uplifted and encouraged by it. I hope you are too.

Dear Father, every person reading these words, including the one writing them, has experienced failure. It has left us broken and disappointed in ourselves. And there are times when a flashback of those failures returns to haunts us. How sad it makes us when we recall those moments! Thank You for the remarkable transformation made possible by forgiveness. Thank You for understanding that "we are but dust," often incapable of fulfilling our own promises or living up to our own expectations.

Renew our hope--hope beyond failure--as we read and reflect on the words of Peter, with whom we can so easily identify. Remind us that, just as You used him after he had failed repeatedly, You will also use us, by Your grace.

May we find fresh encouragement from his words and new strength from his counsel as we journey together with Peter as our guide. We look to You for the ability to hope again, for You, alone, have the power to make something beautiful and good out of lives littered with the debris of words we should never have said and deeds we should never have done.

Our only source of relief comes through Your grace. Bring it to our attention again and again as we discover the truths You led the old fisherman to write so many years ago. In the gracious name of Jesus, I ask this.

                                                                    AMEN