Desperate for God

For a few years I used to lead prayer workshops -- for small groups, a few churches and mission teams. The focus was on intercessory prayer. Out of these workshops came a book I wrote about congregational prayer called More Than You Can Ask.

At nearly every workshop I read excerpts of this riveting article that I came across in Pray! Magazine. It's called "Desperate for God" -- a Cure for Prayerlessness." I hadn't thought of this article for awhile -- until I read in the gospel of Mark this morning of how desperate people came to Jesus for healing. Jairus had a daughter about to die. The woman bleeding for 12 years, with no help from doctors, reached out to touch the garment of Jesus. When Jesus walked on this earth, those despairing of life's problems and heartaches flocked to Him. As do many people today.

Nancy DeMoss, who wrote this wonderful article, tells of a season of her life when God opened her eyes to her prayerlessness and how deeply she needed His presence day by day. She asks the question: "Why don't I pray more?" Then she answers it. "I don't pray because I'm not desperate. I'm not fully conscious of my need for God."

The one book that really lit my fire about intercessory prayer was Jim Cymbala's Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire. This book was born out of the crucible of his ministry in Brooklyn, New York, where Jim leads a church full of desperate people. It truly is a praying church. About three years ago I was privileged to visit their Tuesday night prayer service. The huge theater turned into a sanctuary was packed with folks, crying out to God.

Nancy was also deeply moved by her visit to Brooklyn Tabernacle. She quotes Cymbala:

"In our prayer meetings, you've got desperate people crying out to God. Some of them don't have jobs. Others have husbands who are alcoholics or strung out on drugs. Many are women with no husband at all, trying to raise their children on welfare. Every day we are dealing with crack/cocaine addicts. AIDS patients, people who are HIV positive, people who have never had any family to speak of. These people are desperate! They need God; they don't have anywhere else to turn. That's why we pray."

I need to read articles like this regularly because too often I forget how desperate I am for God. Having a steady job (at least for now), feeling healthy, being in a supportive church -- all these things are great blessings. But if I'm not careful, these blessings can give me the illusion that I'm in control.

How do we cultivate a desperate heart? Nancy has several suggestions. Here's one of them:

Ask God to make you desperate.

Ask Him to make you conscious of your need for Him.

Ask Him to give you an intense hunger and thirst for righteousness.

Ask Him to place within your heart a longing for intimacy with Him, for purity of life, for the salvation of friends and neighbors, for revival in His church, and for the advancement of His kingdom in the world.

Would you join me in this today in asking God to make me desperate? Let's see what the Holy Spirit will do in our hearts as we confess to Him our great need for Him each day.

Jesus did some amazing things in the lives of those who cried out to Him in desperation. And He still does that today.

Jim