Holy Desperation

Word got around that Jesus would be passing through the town on Jericho one day, and a disliked tax collector, small of stature, but rich in wealth, a man named Zaccheus was desperate to see Jesus. (Luke 19)

His desperation was so great, that he hitched up his skirts and ran ahead of the crowd, climbed the branches of a sycamore tree and perched there waiting for the crowd to pass below, bearing Jesus along with them.

Jesus, knowing all things and knowing the heart of Zaccheus, stopped below the tree and called up to him, “….make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house”.

His desperation saw the Saviour not only come to his house but do a work in his heart. 

An outcast, blind and begging, Bartimaeus was also passionate about “seeing” Jesus. He didn’t have sight to be able to run ahead of the crowd. He sat by the road hoping to receive something from a compassionate soul on their way out of Jericho. (Luke 18)

Not knowing what the commotion was all about and why the crowds were passing him by, he asked the passersby the reason for such a great number of people. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, his holy desperation took over and he began to cry out desperately, “Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me”.

The townspeople were embarrassed and tried to quieten him. But his persistence caught the ear of Jesus, and another miracle was performed, bringing sight both to his eyes and to his heart.

In the Old Testament, God became fed up with the complaining, unthankful Israelites and threatened to abandon them in the desert. But the desperate pleading of Moses on the people’s behalf ensured God’s continued presence among the Israelites.  (Exodus 33)

Moses didn’t want the promise land without the promise giver. He wanted the presence of God every step of the way and his holy desperation drove him to intercede on the behalf of an ungrateful, rebellious nation.

Maybe what we need today is the holy desperation that these 3 men had.

God has responded in miraculous ways over and over to desperate cries to him. He longs for us to grow in our relationship with him so that his continued presence is a consuming passion and that we desire nothing more than experiencing his closeness and his leading in our lives.

He wants us to have a holy desperation for him and a longing for deeper fellowship with him day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute.

These men didn’t let their obstacles become excuses to back down and quit seeking him.

Zaccheus didn’t let his height or reputation stop him from seeing Christ.

Bartimeus didn’t let his blindness stop him from calling out and seeking mercy.

Moses didn’t let a rebellious nation, headed for destruction, angry at him, ungrateful for God’s goodness, stop him from pleading for God’s mercy on their behalf.

They didn’t let their obstacles become excuses.

What is it that God is ready and willing to give to you if only you will seek him, and cry out to him, desperately, passionately, wholeheartedly?

Jeremiah 33:2-3 KJV - Thus saith the LORD the maker thereof, the LORD that formed it, to establish it; the LORD is his name; Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.

God is ready to show us his might and power. He stands ready to answer. Ready to give. Ready to heal.

“Desperation becomes holy when we humble ourselves, release control and desperately seek God for a new future.”

We have to determine to seek God with our whole heart. We have to choose humility and we have to release control, letting God write our story, letting him answer the way he sees fit.

We have to let go of our will and place ourselves in his capable hands.

We have to be so set on seeking God that we won’t let anything stand in our way.

If you set out to seek God, he will meet you where you are.

Whether it’s up a tree, or by the wayside. It’s not about your position, or reputation, it’s about your heart.

Deuteronomy 4:29 KJV - But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.

Hebrews 11:6 KJV - But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

We need a holy desperation for God that drives us to our knees and to his feet, crying out to him, letting go of our pride, seeking only him.

We need some of the resolve that numerous men and women of old had. We need to be unashamed of our need for God. We need a humility that realises we will never be enough on our own. It is only with God’s strength and enabling grace that we enjoy his endless mercies.

Let go of your pride. Humble yourself. Seek God. Desire him above everything else. Let his praise be on your lips continually. Desperately come to him wanting his will above everything else. And the blessings of God (not our own interpretation of them), will fall down, like the rain from heaven.

Seek him. He will answer.