Can Someone "On Mission" Fail?

I was thinking about this passage earlier today...

24I hope to see you in passing as I go to Spain, and to be helped on my journey there by you, once I have enjoyed your company for a while. 25At present, however, I am going to Jerusalem bringing aid to the saints. 26For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the saints at Jerusalem. 27For they were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessings, they ought also to be of service to them in material blessings. 28When therefore I have completed this and have delivered to them what has been collected, I will leave for Spain by way of you. 29I know that when I come to you I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ. -Romans 15:24-29

I love the fact that in verses 24 and 28 Paul reveals his longterm plan of bringing the gospel to Spain. I love two things about this. First, Paul clearly understood his divine trajectory. Paul says in a couple of verses before these... "thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation..." (vs. 20) No one had started a church in Spain yet and Paul was designed to take the message of Christ's love to new spiritual frontiers. There was no better place then Spain. Paul was the man. He knew what God had created him to do and he made his travel plans based on that.

The second thing that I love about this passage is that Paul probably never made it to Spain. This is debatable, but I believe Paul believed he was to serve in Spain, but never made it past Rome. If my theory, and many other's is true, then was God wrong in telling Paul to go to Spain or was Paul wrong in wanting to go someone place God didn't want him? The fatalist would say the latter. I say both of those choices are incorrect.

In the great hall of faith chapter of Hebrews it says, "These all died in faith, not having received the things promised..." (11:13) Knowing what God's divine trajectory for your life is doesn't mean that anyone failed if that trajectory isn't hit on the bulls eye. It looks like to me God told Paul to go where there were no churches. Because of that reason and probably a few more, Paul set his sites on Spain. Through being arrested, tried, and probably put to death that goal wasn't met. But, here's the kicker, Paul advanced the gospel by witnessing to big time government officials, his personal watchguards, and by writing a bulk of the New Testament. Wish I could "fail" like that.