Wednesday, August 12, 2020
As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me. You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God! Psalm 40.17
A Desperate Heart
Have you felt desperate in 2020? I don’t remember feeling this desperate this often before in my life. This year has taken some things that have left us all feeling desperate and reeling.
We’ve been:
- Desperate to get the supplies we need – groceries, toilet paper, hand sanitizer
- Desperate to have all my kids home and safe, not spread out between two states
- Desperate to hold my granddaughter in my aching arms, squeeze her in a big hug and give her a sweet Nana kiss (on the back of her head – not the face)
- Desperate for time with my friends
- Desperate to worship together with other believers, to be encouraged, loved, and cared for
What is it that makes us feel desperate? This year it has been many things, one after the other. No doubt, 2020 will go down in history. But besides all that this year has flung at us, there is a long list of things that cause us to feel desperation and they all point to one thing for believers – seeking peace when we are overwhelmed everywhere else but in God.
When we look for safety, security, peace, contentment, or trust anywhere else but in God, we will keep seeking and become more and more desperate all the way. Turning from one thing to another to find what we need will lead to emptiness every time. Sinful behaviors that we find comfort or pleasure in just create more problems for us and provide momentary false relief from what troubles us. God does place people in our lives for certain reasons and at His divinely appointed time, but He never expects us to lean on other humans more than we do on His perfect ability to care for us and meet our needs.
Some very good reasons we can trust God with our desperate hearts:
His Immutability – God is unchanging. His word is true and forever. What He says is true and He does not change His mind. His promises are good for all time with no expiration date.
His Wisdom – God has divine intelligence, which means that He knows the very best thing for us. He knows all things, sees all things, and nothing is hidden from Him, including our lives from beginning to end.
His Righteousness – God is the standard of right and wrong, and He is always fair and just.
His Order – He is not the author of confusion and disorder. He brings peace and not chaos.
When we experience pain, disappointment, unexpected circumstances, fear, etc., we feel desperate. We feel desperate to lessen the pain, to fix the circumstances, or to forget the painful experiences. These situations bring on a parched desperation. It is in this desperation that we end up looking everywhere else but to God, who is the only that brings the relief we need – the Living Water. All the other sources only bring more issues – therefore more desperation. Desperate times call for desperate measures is a true statement and can get us into a whole lot of trouble. Desperate times make desperate hearts is also a true statement, and God has everything we need for our desperate hearts.
The
afflicted and needy are seeking water, but there is none, and their
tongue is parched with thirst; Isaiah 41:I7a
