Desperate Times ??

You’re All I Want

Here’s one of my pithy little quotes that, from time to time, goes out on FB and Twitter. "Today, we are living in desperate times. Yet, the Church is not desperate before God in prayer." - Chuck Smith. I wonder how the speaker defined “desperate times”? Here’s my definition and understanding.

If we consider the economic climate of the world, people are desperate for their jobs at the moment if, for no other reason, to feed themselves and their families. If we consider the poorest of the poor, particularly in Africa, the mere impossibility of earning enough to feed their families makes people desperate for both jobs and food, in fact anything to help them sustain themselves. If we consider the earthquakes and other natural disasters occurring all round the world but especially round the Pacific rim, then people living in these areas are desperate for some sort of reassurance of their personal and family safety.

With all this desperation, and given the whole world political climate and all the talk of the end-times, people who do not know the Lord Jesus Christ are desperately seeking and searching for that ‘something’ that is missing from their lives – even the real reason for their entire existence.

Given this definition, one has to question the reason why the church is not desperate before God in prayer? But there doesn’t seem to be much desperation at all. One exception is, I think, Nathan Morris. He is the main ‘revivalist’ on Bay of the Holy Spirit Revival currently on God TV. There is something special about him. Although only 30-ish, he has the style and sound of an old-fashioned “hell-fire preacher” but with much more compassion.

So when is the church going to get desperate for God? When will we cry out from our very souls for God to move in our church, our town, our nation? Despite all the prophecies currently on the rounds saying that revival is coming to America and particularly to the UK and Western Europe. Despite these, I have been saying for some time that the UK is not ready for revival. There is far too much sanctimonious and smug self-satisfaction and not even close to enough desperation. In fact, I don’t even think the UK has woken up yet to the fact that we need a move of God in revival, let alone got desperate enough to cry out for it. Yet I know that I know that revival is coming to the Western churches throughout Europe and America. When it does there will be a sweep of the Holy Spirit through the whole world that will stun the unbelieving world into repentance.

There are a few pockets of desperation around the world – China for one – and I would like to think there is some prayer offered for revival in a few churches. God meets us at our point of desperation and we would do well to remember that. He does not necessarily meet us when we demonstrate no desperation, or worse, when we demonstrate little faith or belief for what we are praying.

I love the chorus of the Hillsong song, Draw me close to You. It says, “You're all I want, You're all I've ever needed, You're all I want, Help me know You are near.” That about sums up my personal desperation.”

How about you ???

Come Lord Jesus, Come Holy Spirit. Have your way among us, today and every day.