Desperation

DESPERATION

“And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.” - Psalm 50:15

Have you ever been desperate? Have you ever had a time in your life where you passionately prayed and sought God for a miracle? Perhaps you are in such a season right now. If so, you are in good company. Nearly all of God's people face desperate situations from time to time. Some need a miracle just to get through each day.

We are not promised an easy life. The path we must travel will have twists and turns. There will be potholes that shake us up. There are unexpected dead-ends that we will face. At times, the journey can have steep inclines and perilous distractions. Furthermore, our family and friends must navigate areas that are lonely, difficult and dangerous. The times we live in are very uncertain and gloomy. Our society seems to be in a downward spiral into destruction.

We are living in desperate times. We can get so accustomed to the circumstances around us that we no longer live in desperation. We can get so jaded by the adversity of life that we are tempted to give up or give in.

In spite of these desperate times, few people seem to be desperate. Our society is on the brink of destruction. Common sense is nearly extinct in our country. We seem to be constantly on the brink of civil unrest here in America. Across the globe, over 166,000 people will die today, many of them without a saving faith in Jesus. These are desperate times.

For the man or woman with open eyes and an open Bible, it is clear that the only hope for mankind is Jesus Christ. Apart from a miracle, America is doomed to self destruct. Unless God intervenes, the future is hopeless. In this election year, too many are looking for a political candidate to save America. Yet there is not a politician or political party that can turn this nation in the right direction. There is not a political solution to our problems. We need a spiritual awakening in the United States.

Christian historians will tell you that our nation has experienced spiritual awakenings in the past. Typically, these awakenings began during the darkest of times. We are at such a point here in America.

In times of desperation, we are tempted to seek change at the ballot box. We look for human solutions to our spiritual problems. This only worsens our situation.

Spiritual problems can only be solved by spiritual means. Like it or not, our nation's woes stem from deep abiding sin issues.

God has told us what to do in times of desperation. Psalm 50:15 says, “... call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.” Notice three things in this verse.

PRAYER

First of all, in times of desperation, we need to pray. God said, “... call upon me in the day of trouble...” Sadly, most people treat prayer as a last resort. Prayer is reserved for a crisis or an emergency. In times of desperation, people tend to pray. It is in such dire circumstances that we finally see that our only hope is God.

PROMISE

Secondly, God provides us a promise, “... I will deliver thee.” If we will seek God in desperation, He will deliver. He will bring the breakthrough we need. These are desperate times, yet where are the prayer warriors who will pray until the answer comes?

PRAISE

Finally, when God delivers, we should respond by praising Him. God says, “I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.” Tragically, when desperate times are over, we tend to go back to “life as usual.” We forget to thank the Lord. We foolishly neglect the One who answered our prayers and performed miracles. We want to get back to “life as usual,” while forgetting that “life as usual,” led to the desperate situation we were in to begin with. We don't need to return to “life as usual.” We need a new direction that only God can provide.

Yes, these are desperate times. Will you join with me in praying for God to bring a spiritual awakening to America? Will you pray along with me for God to revive our churches, renew families, restore marriages and save souls? Time is running out. This is a critical hour.

If God promises to deliver, why wait any longer to pray?