While answering the question, “Are you living a life of desperation?” I revisited prayer requests from previous years. Upon review, I noticed that many of those pleas had found resolution in one form or another, while others lingered as seemingly “unanswered.” This prompted me to ponder the true essence of faith. My thoughts swiftly turned to Jesus’s earthly ministry, particularly reflecting on the lives touched by His mere presence. To the best of my recollection, I couldn’t recall an instance where an individual’s prayer wasn’t promptly answered upon encountering Jesus. Consider, for instance, the woman with the issue of blood, who had suffered for years. The moment she touched the hem of Jesus’ garment, her faith in Him brought about healing. The same transformative power applied to lepers, the lame, and the blind—each finding their prayers answered upon encountering Jesus.
Are you living a life of desperation?
While it’s common knowledge that God operates outside our comprehension, these stories challenged my perception of faith. Each account demonstrated that the immediacy of Jesus’s responses seemed linked to the individual’s situational desperation. In other words, Jesus was their last and only hope. It led me to question my own faith: When was the last time I approached God with such desperation, declaring, “Jesus has to work”? In asking that question, I wondered how often my “unanswered” prayers have been a consequence of my insufficient desperation, equating to a lack of faith. Have I, at times, made God my last resort and my sole hope?
Again, it’s crucial to emphasize that God’s ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts, and sometimes, despite fervent prayers and unwavering belief, things don’t unfold as anticipated. Sometimes, God may have plans divergent from ours, and even with exercised faith, answers may elude us. This reflection doesn’t assert that unanswered prayers solely stem from a lack of faith but encourages a reconsideration of how we approach Jesus. The central question for us all, myself included, is: How desperate are we, and is Jesus genuinely our only hope?
A Desperate Prayer
Tonight, we come before you with desperation. We desperately want to make Jesus our only hope. We put our trust and faith in Him alone. Your word declares that even with faith as small as a mustard seed, we can command mountains to move. Today, we stand upon Your promises, commanding the mountains in our lives to leap into the sea. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
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