🌄 Failing Forward – Day 10

Setbacks That Become Setups

Scripture

Romans 8:28 —
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Devotional

Few things shake our confidence like setbacks.

A relapse.
A mistake you thought you were past.
A decision you regret.
A season where progress seems undone.

Setbacks have a way of whispering lies:
“You ruined it.”
“You’re back at the beginning.”
“God must be disappointed now.”

But God does not view setbacks the way we do.

What looks like a failure to you can become a setup in God’s hands — a turning point where humility deepens, dependence grows, and grace becomes more real than ever before.

Throughout Scripture, God repeatedly works through what looks broken:

• Joseph’s betrayal became preparation

• Peter’s denial became restoration

• Paul’s past became testimony

God does not waste your missteps.
He redeems them.

A setback does not erase your growth. It often reveals it — showing you where you now turn faster, pray sooner, repent quicker, and rely more deeply on God than before.

You may feel like you’ve taken ten steps backward.
But God is still moving you forward — just along a path you didn’t expect.

Your setback is not the end of your story.
It may be the very place where God is setting something new in motion.

Reflection Question

What setback have you been interpreting as failure instead of an opportunity for God to work?

Journal Prompt

Write about a recent setback or disappointment.
Then write how God might use this moment to grow, refine, or redirect you rather than define you.