Pastor Joshua Wilson writes about losing a church plant. “I believe the Spirit prepared me for the church’s demise, and gave great comfort as this season in our lives came to an end. However, I was already plagued by a thought that would not be easy to erase: I had failed.”
What do you do when, despite your best efforts, your ministry fails? “What happens when you put your hand to the plow,” he asks, “but the visible outcome of what you do is meager or nonexistent?”
One wonders how the OT prophets felt, calling the people to repentance, and (in a worldly sense) not succeeding.
It’s hard to not feel a failure, to not question yourself and your efforts when it all falls down, even when you know full well that the Lord said “I will build my church,” and not “you will build my church.”