Falling Seven Times a Day

"Lie not in wait as a wicked man against the dwelling of the righteous; do no violence to his home; for the righteous falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of calamity." Proverbs 24:15-16 ESV

The number seven is significant. It means completeness. In Leviticus they did many things seven times including sprinkling the altar seven times to cleanse it and make it ready (see Leviticus 16:19.)

If someone someone fails seven times it means they are a perfect failure.

" 'Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, 'I repent,' you must forgive him.' The apostles said to the Lord, 'Increase our faith!' " Luke 17:3-5 ESV

If they 'sin against you' seven times a day they are a perfect nuisance and you would have to be a perfect Saint to put up with them. 'Increase our faith!' sounds like the right thing to say if someone is going to be that annoying.

No one wants to fail that much or have to forgive that much. No one wants to be knocked down again and again. We want to be the one who rises every time... that is a virtue. Tenacity... having the never give up attitude. We want the power to continue and triumph.

"Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.

He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.

Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:28-31 ESV

Power! Yeah that's what we want. Who wouldn't want it. Who wants these titles. The perfect failure? The perfect victim? The perfect forgiver??

The question is... will the winner wait on God. That's in there nestled in that verse. Will the young strong man who has never tasted failure wait? Will a taste of failure be enough?

"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" Romans 3:23 KJV

"As it is written: 'None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.' " Romans 3:10-12 ESV

These verses basically declare every person a 'Perfect Failure'. The question is have we come to terms with the fact. To a partial failure a gift is a nice bonus on top on what ever it is they earn by their own power. To a perfect one grace is life because it is all they can ever have. The perfect failure can learn to wait on God.

God gives a specific warning to people about messing with a righteous person. He basically says, 'You don't know who you are messing with. That person may look like target but they know how to wait on Me.'

I am going to start my day out as a complete failure. I reckon it is true in my mind now before my day really starts. Then I am going to wait on God and ask Him to fill me with His Spirit. Failure isn't going to make me subjective if it is perfect failure. Partial failure will cause me to be introspective but not perfect failure. Why look inside for improvement if my failure is complete?

From zero something truly amazing can happen. God does the lifting and God does gives strength that renews and renews. Winning is not the issue any more. Christ has won and we are His conquered ones. It is ironic.

Let's face it... God has a good sense of humor.

Only 'Perfect Failures' can be 'Perfect Forgivers.' Only perfect failures want to be.