We have often heard the term ‘when all else fails’ and understand that it is referring to multiple things being tried to accomplish a goal or task, but all to no avail. There is one last resort and usually it comes with a larger price than we were willing to pay in the first place. This phrase implies this is the end of the rope and there is nothing else to try. For example, if your computer is not performing up to par, you may try different small things to remedy the problem—like deleting the cookies or disabling add-ons. Then you may contact a technical support team for additional instructions, and ‘when all else fails’ you may have to spend a considerable amount of money to have your hard drive cleaned. That was your last resort. There was nothing else. All else had failed. You had no other choice if you wanted your computer working properly.
It is amazing how we can even apply that to God in our lives. Sometimes we find ourselves putting God on the shelf and we will try to do things our way first. And "when all else fails," we will pray; "When all else fails," we will consult Him about the situation.
As Christians, God should have been our first thought not our final resort. He is our source and resource. It was He that made us, not ourselves. We tend to forget that He knows everything about us and every situation we will ever encounter, no matter how big or small. Yet, we try to manipulate the outcome ourselves, and yes, in some instances, end up paying for it in a big way.
We fail to realize that the whole time we are trying to fix it, God is waiting for us to bring it to Him. He is waiting for us to come and talk to Him about it. He is waiting to give us sound instruction that is certain to work and fix it once and for all. We waste so much time maneuvering through trivial tasks that lead to ‘when all else fails.’
The Word of God tells us in 1 Peter 5:7 to "cast all of our cares upon Him, for He cares for us." God cares about us the same way we as parents care about our children. It hurts us to watch them struggle with things of which they have no control. That is exactly how God feels about us! The only difference is that sometimes it is beyond our control and we cannot help them—but in our relationship with God, He is all knowing and is always in control.
The great thing is that His grace is everlasting and still covers us. Whenever we do give up our so-called power, and present our problems and ourselves to Him, He is gracious enough to forgive us and help us. He is our great God and worthy of our praise, glory, and honor.
Let us be ever mindful that we do not have to follow the ‘when all else fails’ strategy because when we go to God first, it will never fail.