You Fail Us Not

Thank God for His presence in Christian music. We know how music reaches the spirit within us, so it is important to fill our hearts and ears with lyrics that are pure and honorable to our Lord.

The Lord used music this morning to reach me while ironing. The following words from the song, You Fail Us Not by ‘1000 Generations’ seeped into my heart as I reflected upon my recent failures. Yet, God is ever merciful.

Failure doesn’t faze you.
Worry doesn’t win.
Loss doesn’t leave
YOU.
I’m free to start again.
Our sin doesn’t shock YOU.
Our shame doesn’t shame YOU at all.

There is nothing above YOU.
There is nothing beyond YOU.
There is nothing that YOU can’t do.
Whatever may come, we’ll rise above
YOU fail us not. YOU fail us not.

No matter the world.
Our hope is secure.
YOU fail us not. YOU fail us not.

Our Lord never fails us. Even when the circumstances around us seem to point towards failure, HE is there. We fail Him at times by not turning to Him or trusting in His Divine Mercy, but He is always there for us if when we call.

As His children, we are called to reflect His mercy on those around us – no matter what they’ve done. “I’m free to start again. Our sin doesn’t shock YOU. Our shame doesn’t shame YOU at all.”

His grace guides me in this very mission each time I serve lunch to our homeless brothers and sisters in need on the city streets. Interacting with many of the same people week after week and building relationships with some is one of God’s greatest blessings. Set in motion through prayer, groups of us go to serve lunch to the hungry, but our time there is about so much more than lunch.

Weekly visits with some have turned into mid-week phone calls or visits. Unrecognized numbers on my phone often bring the joyful greeting of one of the brothers or sisters from the park “just calling to say hello and see how we’re doing.” God is good.

There are countless stories on the streets of “failure” – failure in the world’s eyes, that is. When the world tosses aside failure, God uses it to shape us. That “failure” brings many to their knees – sometimes literally and others subconsciously.

As the song says and our Lord proclaims, “Failure doesn’t faze You.” Our failures are stepping stones on the road to redemption. In our failures we see ourselves as sinners in need of a Higher Power – Jesus.

“No matter the war,
our hope is secure.
YOU fail us not. YOU fail us not”.

If our ears and the eyes of our hearts are open, Jesus’ grace will flow in freely through humility. Humility is a great gift, but comes disguised as humiliation. When we make a mistake and realize it, this is the time to praise God instead of condemning ourselves. In that moment He allowed us to see our sin and turn to Him who alone can cleanse us.

The cleansing comes through the sacraments. Each Saturday morning before heading out to the street, I participate in Holy Mass or spend time with the Lord in Eucharistic Adoration in order to bring His presence within me to our neighbors. There is no way I could go down there on my own merit. Our Lord is in charge of the day. We, his instruments, pray that we hear Him and see Him when He calls upon we who serve Him there.

Our failure doesn’t faze YOU…

As tabernacles of His Spirit, the failures of others should not faze us either. We are called to look with love on our neighbors, just as we ask them to look with love on us – in our homes, communities and beyond. Only then does it become easy to meet and build relationships with those that society may deem failures.

Failures aside, there is harmony, compassion and peace in the park each week, by the grace of our Lord Jesus. It may be short-lived, remain for the day or weeks beyond within the brothers and sisters we meet. There are so many circumstances that seek to steal this peace from them – drugs, alcohol, worry, shame, fear…

The evil one doesn’t like us bringing life into his territory, but we go without fear in the name of the Lord, not looking at the words or actions of those we meet. Instead, we “put on the mind of Christ” and look through His eyes to see their dignity because all have been created in the image of God.

As a wise priest once said, “God doesn’t love us if we change. He loves us so we can change.”

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