Desperate. Des-pah-rate. That word brings so much emotion into my being. A yearning fills my soul. A deep craving for…something. To fill and to satisfy. When I’m desperate, I’m at the end of myself. All senses go out the door and I will do anything for that thing that I’m craving. Yes. Anything.
Does that sound like anybody else out there?
Webster’s dictionary defines desperate as:
- (a) having lost all hope (b) giving no ground for hope
- (a) moved by despair or utter loss of hope (b) involving or employing extreme measures in an attempt to escape defeat or frustration
- Suffering extreme need or anxiety
- Involving extreme danger or possible disaster
- Of extreme intensity
- Shocking; outrageous
Wow. The word “extreme” gets thrown around a lot in that definition. But in its most basic form, desperation is extreme. It’s feeling something so beyond ourselves, an ardent desire, to have. To touch. To taste. To buy. Something within us whispers, “If I can’t have that, I will surely die.” We’re unlikely to admit it to ourselves, let alone others, but we are all desperate. The real question is, what makes us desperate?
When trials occur, when we feel empty inside, when life is so full of pain we want to escape, where do we turn? Some turn to alcohol to fill the void. They are desperate. Some shop excessively to have momentary pleasures that temporarily numb the ache. They are desperate. Some turn to food over and over again to fill their earthly vessels with dopamine fixes. They are desperate. Some turn to their jobs and their to-do lists to get that next promotion, to fill their time with work and a sense of accomplishment. They are desperate. These are only to name a few on a list that could go on for miles. But within all these cravings and desires, there is a common denominator: We are moved to a point of despair and hopelessness. Something within us feels hollow and despondent. So blindly, we feel around in a dark room in a desperate hope to find something that will satisfy us, even for the briefest of moments.
That is until someone flips on the light. No, not someone. The One.
Here’s the thing, we were all created to be desperate. Desperation is not a bad thing. Desperation is probably the closest thing we will ever feel on this side of heaven with such heavy and overwhelming emotion, besides love. When channeled correctly, desperation leads us to the only One who can truly satisfy the deepest longing of our hearts: Jesus!
I know, this is where you’ll probably want to scroll past or roll your eyes. I’ve been there. I really have! I’ve read so many posts, words written by friends, preachers preaching, captions, and billboard signs. I’ve rolled my eyes and snorted as well. Jesus, really? Here we go again, another Jesus-freak trying to talk some sense about this Jesus-person who’s never done anything for me a day in my life. Who’s never there for me when I need Him most. I’m telling you, I would have scrolled past, too. This Father, who claims to stick closer to me than a brother (Proverbs 18:24), why does He feel so distant? I’ve pounded the floor in anger, I’ve cried enough tears to swim in, I’ve threatened to hurt myself, I’ve felt numb to life—and so, I decided to disregard Him. If He won’t show, then I’m done. Defeated and disappointed, I turned to other things to fill me. And though I wasn’t fully satisfied, it was enough that I could live with it. Even enjoy it.
And yet, the Lord didn’t leave me there to indulge myself with fools gold. Someone must have been praying for me, for my eyes opened. Someone had turned on the light, and gazing down, I was startled to see I was inches away from falling off a cliff. In desperate need and love, I ran to Jesus, who had been there with me the whole time. He had never left. He was holding a large bottle full of tears. My tears. He had saved them all! He was standing on a path that was full of vibrant color and beauty, but somehow I had wandered off the path and to another that led to certain death.
As Webster dictionary defines, desperation can involve extreme danger or possible disaster. Channeled by the enemy of our souls, Satan, desperation can be the thing that drives us to our death. Yes, physical death, but even worse, spiritual death! Scripture tells us that Satan comes to “steal, kill, and destroy” (John 10:10) and he is “prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). One way he can devour us is by placing “shiny objects” in our path to distract us from the One who gives us life! He will lead us to be desperate for other things besides Jesus. He will lead us to believe that Jesus isn’t enough. It’s like we’re walking around thirsty, our bodies panting for water, but we’re drinking Redbull. Redbull will give us energy, and will even fool us to believe that we’re no longer thirsty, but it’s just not sustainable for the body. At some point, without the “true” satisfaction of H2O, we are going to crash and burn!
I once heard a curious statement that said, “We become what we behold.” To behold something is to gaze on it, with rapport attention and focus, unblinking and unwavering. The more we focus on things other than God, the more we become like it; the more we long and thirst for it. God is just a distant memory at that point, with no feeling, need, or love associated with Him. To us, Netflix has become more fascinating and attention-worthy. Plans, dreams, and to-do lists are more of a priority. We read book after book after book, instead of cracking open the Word of Life, Scripture that has transformational and supernatural power. Our lives don’t look much different from those who are unbelievers, except for perhaps the occasional church service we attend so we don’t receive another, “Hello, is everything alright?” instant message from a church member. But oh, dear ones, we are called to more. So much more!
We are called to lives and hearts that are desperate for God. When we direct our desperation and longings towards Jesus, our cravings and emptiness within will lead us to the Fountain of Living Water, where we will no longer thirst or hunger again (John 4:14). Where we will have life, and life abundantly (John 10:10)!
The Bridegroom is calling His Bride back to Himself.
The Creator, who breathed stars into existence, invites us into a love-abandonment relationship with Him.
I love the way Bob Sorge describes desperation in his book “Secrets of the Secret Place”: “When You’re made desperate for God, your pursuit takes on a different tone. Survival is at stake. You get a look in your eye that’s almost half-crazed. You’ll go anywhere or do anything. No measure is too extreme. You look at other people and think, ‘I love you, I respect you, I think you’re a wonderful person—but if you don’t get out of my way I’m going to run you over. Because I have got to touch Jesus!’ Shallow sources of entertainment get tossed. Invitations to parties are spurned. Others start to lose interest in your friendship because they realize you’re not much fun anymore. But you don’t care—you’re desperate for God. All that matters is touching Jesus’ garment.”
My prayer is that we become a people who are made desperate for God! When we are in a place of such hopelessness, despair, loneliness, anger, depression, anxiety, sickness, numbness, and indifference—Jesus should not be the last thing we turn to, but the first. Let our desperation, yearnings, cravings, and tears be directed toward God. He really is the only One who can truly satisfy! “For he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.” (Psalm 107:9) When we numb our true satisfaction, which is in Jesus, by turning it to other sources to “fill” and to “gratify”, we only drive ourselves closer and closer to the edge of the cliff. “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” (Ephesians 5:14)
And so spoken by words of Bob Sorge: “I invite you to pray. Lord, make me desperate for You. Cry with tears, and He’ll hear you. He knows where you’re at, He knows what you can bear, and He has an answer. He knows how to make us thirsty for Him.”
Desperate. Des-pah-rate. That word brings so much emotion into my being. A yearning fills my heart and my soul. A deep craving for…the One. To fill and to satisfy. I’m at the end of myself. All senses go out the door and I will do anything for Jesus, whom I love. Yes. Anything. Something within me cries, “I have got to touch Jesus’ garment, or I will surely die.”
And so, the question remains, what makes you desperate? Will you be made desperate for God?
Devotional Suggestions to the Thirsty (Click any below to be taken to a new page): "Secrets of the Secret Place"~Bob Sorge "Invitation to the Thirsty"~Isaiah 55 "Crazy Love"~Francis Chan "In His Face"~Bob Sorge "Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World"~Joanna Weaver "Praise God Who Satisfies"~Psalm 63 "Silencio: Reflective Practices For Nurturing Your Soul"~Stephen A. Macchia "The Beatitudes"~Matthew 5:1-12 ”Get Your Life Back”~John Eldredge The Pause App~Created by John Eldredge
Thank you!
You’re so welcome! Thank you for reading this. I pray you have a blessed day! 🙂