Summoned to the pagan temple for his enemies' entertainment, Samson asks to be allowed to rest against the pillars. If he had his sight, the Philistines would never have allowed him anywhere near those pillars (Judges 16:26). But nobody is worried about Samson. After all, he is an ordinary blind man, no threat to anyone. He is a failure. The grace of God takes the very results of Samson's failure and uses his apparent weakness and blindness to win a great victory. Because Samson is prepared to trust God even though he had failed, the Lord answers his prayer (v. 28) in a supernatural way. Samson becomes a living embodiment of the truth that God is a God of grace. Restoration is not based on performance, yet Satan tempts us to believe that it is-we convince ourselves that we must earn God's favour, that we have to achieve something before He will love and use us.

When Samson had physical capacity, he was proven to be a miserable failure. Now, in his distress, he calls on the Lord (v. 28), and the Lord meets his need. God can use blinded, broken, forgiven sinners. He can even use the blindness that is the product of our failures. This is a truth we need for our lives on a daily basis.

The results of Samson's prayer are spectacular (v. 30). In some ways, verse 30 is sad-it is a reminder of the tragic way in which Samson traded God-given power and potential for a carnal pursuit of pleasure. If only he had followed the Lord with all his heart, how much more he could have done! At the same time, however, verse 30 is also full of the grace of God. Samson's death is not a defeat; it is a victory. The failure dies a hero.

By God's grace, failure, when properly dealt with, can be a giant step forward in our growth to becoming like Christ. We have a God who restores failures. The hair can grow again. Are you a failure? Of course you are-there is no such thing as a perfect Christian.

How can we deal with failure? First, we need to admit it and see ourselves for what we are-blind, shaven, and chained. Second, we need to accept God's forgiveness. 1 John 1:9 is a truth to be lived. Third, we need to be patient. Restoration takes time; the Lord wants to build habits in our lives that will enable us to become godly Christians (Psalm 119:67) and keep us in the Word. Fourth, we need to trust God to use us. We can ask Him to show us how even the scars left by our sin can become instruments to display His glory. He will!