The Sum of Desperation

02.22.14

Mark 1.40-41 40 A man with a skin disease came to Jesus. He fell to his knees and begged Jesus, “You can heal me if you will.” 41 Jesus felt sorry for the man, so he reached out his hand and touched him and said, “I will. Be healed!” (NCV)

What really matters in this brief account is not the dreadful disease but the desperation. It is the same today: God sees and feels compassion for the one who is desperate. And God feels compassion for those who are desperate. He always has. He always will.

The anatomy of desperation is very plain to see: the voice of desperation is audible; the touch of desperation is firmness in utter weakness; the smell of desperation is fear of the not being heard or helped; the taste of desperation is bitter. The relief of desperation is palpable.

Desperation drives one to call out to God: “You can heal me if You will!” Desperation calls out when there are no other alternatives, or very few. Desperation opens one’s eyes to the reality of God’s presence – and the heart to His existence. Many have been actually been so desperate as to pray. Much prayer is lifted in desperation.

And God listens and hears the song of the heart. And God hears the cry of the desperate; God has compassion on those who desperately seek Him above all else; who know no better, and are to the place where they will perish if He doesn’t intervene.

It isn’t a formula, it is a reality. The question for most is: how desperate are you?

I read an interesting quote this morning: is goes: “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult; and left untried.” (G.K. Chesterton) Those who are not desperate will not try. They haven’t yet come to that place where they feel they have no other choice. Our prayer (if we dare) ought to be for them that the circumstances of life so overwhelm them that their focus turns heavenward.

Our desperation ought to drive us to plead with God for every circumstance that will help those for whom we pray, to see truth for what it truly is in all its glory. Desperation plus desperation equals: I will! The sum of desperation is God’s answer: I will!

Father God, I am desperate for You because I see what my life is like when I ignore You. Help me to be rich in holy desperation but dwell in poverty of everything else. I pray for those I love and ask that the sum of their lives would result in the desperation of saying: “You can heal me if you will.” O God, may it be so. And may I pray in desperation for them that Your compassionate answer resounds through all heaven and earth: I will! Amen.