Desperate Prayers

Somethings come into our lives that seem hopeless. They have no foreseeable solution. We feel helpless to endure or fix whatever it may be. These "somethings" demand desperate prayers. God is the God of the impossible.

God is able to reverse the situation or get us through the situation to a happy conclusion. When we imagine Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane we see desperate praying, not from the disciples, but from Jesus, the one we expect to answer our desperate prayers. Jesus sought His Father and asked desperately, over and over, that there would be a different way to accomplish His will. The answer was "No."

I like to think that at the time when Jesus took the cup He was given the vision of resurrection, of His reuniting with His Father in heaven and bringing all believers with Him! This vision certainly did not remove the pain of the cross. It did not change the need for a redemption of sin by His perfect sacrifice. It only gave Him something to focus on the other side of the cross, pain, and death.

Lately I have found the need to pray some desperate prayers. I do not know how they will be resolved, but I do know who I ask for answers. I ask my Father who loves even when we choose the wrong way. I ask The God of the Universe who holds the power to let Peter walk on water, Phillip to be moved across miles to speak to a Eunich who needed to hear the gospel, or turned my rebellious heart back to Him. I am free and hopeful to pray for a change of heart, provision for a need, or healing that seems resistant to healing.

It all comes down to where our focus is. Who are we looking toward to see that hope we desperately need? I must turn away from people who seem to have all the answers. I must remove my dependence on the things of this world. I must set my sights on God. I must keep my tear-filled eyes trained on what I see Him doing. It is so hard to see the little moves of God, but each step moves us closer to a miracle story. My ears must shut out the chatter of other's stories and hear His words meant just for my spirit and soul. They may come as a whisper deep inside of me, or a shout that shakes me awake! But I must listen.

Desperate prayers are not impossible prayers. They are the cry that reaches God's ear and His heart, because He has been there!