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part 10 of the series from “Strengthen Yourself in the Lord”  by Bill Johnson

chapter 9: The Desperate Cry

“I . . . I’m desperate for You, and I . . . I’m lost without You.”

This song has touched my heart from Day One. Even from the time when my own heart disagreed and denied desperation for Him, to when I felt a longing for God’s presence so strongly, there was something there. I knew that desperate feeling was somehow important. And it couldn’t be drummed up. 

I know from experience that I can’t depend on my own efforts. It’s His love that provides and then develops that desperation. All I have to do is cooperate. I have to wait in His presence, offering thanks and opening my heart to His. He is faithful to answer me and to fulfill my desperate cry. 

Unfortunately, we tend to equate desperation with tears, and with mourning our own shortcomngs compared with His greatness. The Israelites did the same when they wept in despair and sorrow at hearing the Law of the Lord read aloud (Nehemiah 8).

But God told them not to cry but to rejoice. The issue was not their own failure, but their new-found understanding of Father God and His love. Mourning was not called for; rejoicing was the ticket. 

It’s our ticket, too. Rather then spend so much time mourning your mistakes and failures, praise God for His teaching and deliverance. And for His great mercy. 

Let your desperation be for His presence. He will not disappoint.