DESPERATELY DESPERATE

(Post by: Lilly Hobbs)

What does it mean to be desperate for God? Biblically, I believe it is something we are to strive towards, and it seems like there is a sense of desperation in the worship songs we sing at church on Sunday, but what does it look like in everyday life? Is it just a feeling you experience when everything in your life goes terribly wrong and you have no other “fix” or solution?

These are real-life questions that I believe pertain many of us, no matter how young or old we are. I think it is also safe to say that many of us may know the “right answers”, but can you actually explain, from personal experience, what it’s like to be desperate for God?

The other day, my family and I were praying for one of our friends who has cancer. He was in the hospital, and not doing well, and we felt like God wanted us to drive to the hospital to simply pray in the parking lot for his healing.

As we were praying, my dad said something that honestly, I thought was a bit crazy at first. He said, “Well Lord, I’m glad we’ve finally come to the point where every other possible solution has ceased to work and where we can realize that you’re all we’ve got.”

He wasn’t saying that the radiation wasn’t worth it or that the chemo was useless for our friend. We were trusting that God would use those things in whatever way He wanted to. My dad was just sharing that he was actually glad that God had made Himself our only hope, and that we wanted and expected Him to work powerfully!

Psalm 91:14-16 says, “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name. When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”

I think we tend to get this whole “desperate for God” thing mixed up. Most people only want God when the chemo does not work or when they don’t have anything else to try. That’s the only time they’re desperate.

But I think that being desperate for God really just means that we constantly realize He is all we’ve got. Being desperate for God isn’t necessarily about acquiring His presence in our lives, because if we have a relationship with Him, we should know that God is always with us. A desperate need for God results from already having a relationship with Him but wanting more and more of Him and only Him.

Because in reality y’all, we are always at the end of ourselves.

God says that he will deliver those who hold fast to Him, and that He will protect those who know His name. You may ask about those who are unsaved, and I truly believe He works even in the lives of people who are not close to Him. He comes to them when they are at the end of themselves because He wants them to know Him and rely on Him. But trust me, it is SO much better for those who always recognize that they are at the end of themselves and rely on God every second of every day.

They know full well that it is God who works all things for our good, and ultimately, God gets all the glory.

We should always be desperate as followers of Jesus because we should want more of Him! Don’t just settle with past experiences you may have had! There is always more.

Leonard Ravenhill once said, “Prayer is as mighty as God, because He has committed Himself to answer it.”

Do you understand the gravity of that today? Prayer is as mighty as God, and yet most of us hardly pray at all. And if we do, I bet we don’t pray with the knowledge and attitude that it is that powerful. You see, we should be in a constant state of prayer because of our constant desperation for Him.

I am glad we’ve finally come to the point where every other possible solution has ceased to work. There’s not a solution. There’s a Savior.

“From the end of the earth I will cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.”  (Psalm 61:2)

SO WHAT IS YOUR RESPONSE?

= Do you tend to only be desperate for God when times are hard?

= Have you come to the end of yourself?

= What are you going to do differently?