DESPERATION ROSS SMITH

DESPERATION                                                                                                          ROSS SMITH

Not too many of us have ever experienced “DESPERATION”, whether it be in a dangerous situation, or lack of necessities, or absolute isolation, terminal illness etc. and so we lack the urgency required to meet the criteria to be a true Disciple. “DESPERATION” is really another word for “TROUBLE”, or a situation which seems impossible to resolve.

2 Chronicles 15:4                              But when they in their trouble turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and [in DESPERATION earnestly] sought Him, He was found by them.

This scripture is the sequel to the prophetic utterance of the Prophet Azariah during a period when the tribes of Judah and Benjamin were devoid of any spiritual direction, and the king was returning from a great victory fought against the Ethiopians. They were spiritually destitute and ignorant, having been influenced by the idolatrous state of neighbouring Israel. The principles espoused here are just as relevant to us today if we adopt the route to finding God’s assistance is every aspect of our life.

The response in verse 4 was as a result of what Azariah had proclaimed and it is worth not just memorising but applying every day. This is how it took place.

2 Chronicles  15:2                            (Part 1)  And he (Azariah) went out to meet Asa and said to him, Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: the Lord is with you while you are with Him.

                                                     (Part 2) If you seek Him [inquiring for and of Him, craving Him as your soul’s first necessity], He will be found by you;

                                                    (Part 3) BUT IF YOU [BECOME INDIFFERENT AND] FORSAKE HIM, HE WILL FORSAKE YOU. 

There are so many examples of desperate situations in scripture, and we tend to read about them, but meticulously avoid associating with them, because our current situation is quite comfortable and there is no pressure to make any change that will incur a present-day penalty.

But I would list just some of these situations and then explore a couple of them so that we can embrace the principle behind the instructions of God’s Word.

 

• Cripple by the pool John 5:6
• Demon possessed boy Mark 9:23-34
• Woman with issue of blood Luke 8:43
• Disciples in the boat Mark 6:49
• Man lowered through the roof Luke 5:18-19
• Mary Magdalene & demons Luke 8:2
• The Prodigal son Luke 15:16
• The leper Luke 5:12
• Hannah 1 Samuel 1:10
• Jonah Jonah 1:5 and 2:7
• Job Job 13:15
• Jacob’s wrestle Genesis 32:24-25
• Jairus Luke 8:41
• Moses      Exodus 33:13
• Johanan son of Kareah Jeremiah 42:2
• David 2 Samuel 24:14
• Jesus sweat blood Luke 22:44

 

Do we really understand what it means to be “DESPERATE”?  Rather than just give a definition of the word, which you can easily recover from your own dictionary, it may be more profitable to identify the characteristics of “DESPERATE” so that we can align our comprehension.

Some people don’t know the difference between “DESPERATION’ and “EXASPERATION”, but it is clearly different when analysed. “EXASPERATION” is related to what I WANT whilst “DESPERATION” is related to what I NEED.

“DESPERATION” is a heart condition, “EXASPERATION” is a mental condition, if our heart is right, there will be no exasperation, a good principle to remember and help in times of stress.

Also involved, is what drives this attitude, for both have as their engine, “MOTIVATION”. The opposite of “DESPERATION” is “SELF SUFFICIENCY”, which will prove to be a fragile state of mind in the long run. This makes it very important that we “EXAMINE OUR MOTIVES” or “TEST OUR HEART”.

Job could have been excused for being “EXASPERATED”, several supposedly good friends mouthing off and berating him without any benefit of discernment, but Job’s reaction was monumental.

Job 13:15                                             [I do it because, though He slay me, yet will I wait for and trust Him and] behold, He will slay me; I HAVE NO HOPE—(but despite my desperate situation  ..  comments mine) nevertheless, I will maintain and argue my ways before Him and EVEN TO HIS FACE.

We need not fear “DESPERATION” for it is Father’s purpose to lift us out from among the “Hopeless” and establish us in His eternal plan, and the Psalmist not only identifies the solution, but enlarges to some degree, the dimensions in which “Desperation” can find its source. Likewise, in Chronicles, the scribe confirms that there are and will be times of TROUBLE but the solution is not to succumb to the circumstance but RELY ON GOD

Psalm 9:9                                             The Lord also will be a refuge and a high tower for the oppressed, a refuge and a stronghold IN TIMES OF TROUBLE (HIGH COST, DESTITUTION, AND DESPERATION).

2 Chronicles 15:4                              But when they in their trouble turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and [IN DESPERATION EARNESTLY] SOUGHT HIM, HE WAS FOUND BY THEM. 

But we cannot pause here for too long because is we proceed from Psalm 9:9 to the next verse, see what the result is.

Psalm 9:10                                          And they who know Your name [who have experience and acquaintance with Your mercy] will lean on and confidently put their trust in You, for You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek (inquire of and for) You [on the authority of God’s Word and THE RIGHT OF THEIR NECESSITY]. (Or I would suggest, the “depth of their desperation”.  Comments mine)

In Jesus ministry, He frequently ministered “one on one”, which would seem to indicate that there were not too many who were desperate. Those who were, made it their business to confront Jesus in many different scenarios, but there were myriad spectators. This is also the state of the church today, not too many are prepared to either press through the throng despite having “issues”, or climb a sycamore tree to get above the interference, or cry out with a loud voice because they cannot move or see, plead their case with conviction with the fervency of a Syrophoenician, or wrestle all night with a superior entity, most are happy to settle down in their “religious” experience with a pillow and a promise.

We too can be onlookers, attending the events but without any real participation, we too can eat of the loaves and fishes, and then go home, back to the mundane, assuming that the blessing of God rests on us, but without any real fruit to confirm our profession.

A practical example is in the failure of marriage today, if I am exasperated then I want “out”, which is the world’s supposed solution to the problem, but if I am desperate then I will bring the Word of God to bear on the situation.

Proverbs 16:7                                    When a man’s ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. (How much easier it would be for the Lord to make peace with our spouse!!!  comments mine)

Proverbs  25:21-22                          If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; For in doing so, you will heap coals of fire upon his head, and the Lord will reward you.

This can hardly be said of the people listed earlier, their desperation was due to an absence of hope, “HOPELESSNESS”.

Many of our “DESPERATE” situations are caused by other people, and the above resolutions, though simple to enunciate require that we repair to the security of God’s Word to see how we are to reach into the divine dimensions for aid, and it can’t be done casually. If we want the Lord to respect our “DESPERATION” then there is a route to be followed, and the casual will not readily adopt the process, because it involves more than we have been led to expect.

Mark 12:30                                         And YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD  out of and with your whole heart and out of and with all your soul (your life) and out of and with all your mind (with your faculty of thought and your moral understanding) and out of and with all your strength. THIS IS THE FIRST AND PRINCIPAL COMMANDMENT.

Can I translate this into the language we are using in this study, it would read, “LOVE THE LORD, DESPERATELY”

Much of our prayer and pleading is misplaced, because we do not have the conviction of God’s approval (Romans 14:23) and it relates to the “WANT” side of our nature, not the “ABSOLUTE NECESSITY”.

James 4:3                                            [Or] you do ask [God for them] and yet fail to receive, because you ask with wrong purpose and evil, selfish motives. Your intention is [when you get what you desire] to spend it in sensual pleasures. (On our “wants” not on our “needs”, which He has promised to meet anyhow. Philippians 4:19)

The criteria for us today to be able to not only enjoy, but continue to develop a deep and personal relationship with our Lord is found in several verses recorded, such as: –

Psalm 14:2                                          The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men to see if there were any who understood, dealt wisely, and SOUGHT AFTER GOD, INQUIRING FOR AND OF HIM AND REQUIRING HIM [OF VITAL NECESSITY].

The terms used, “Understood and dealt wisely” really means that we have to “SMARTEN UP”. Then the Psalmist nominates the depth of intensity required, because Father is watching to see if we would qualify, the key words being “VITAL NECESSITY” or again in our terms “DESPERATELY”

“DESPERATION” requires assistance, not sympathy or empathy, for how can one adequately identify with a desperate situation without having been there. But that is where the analogy finishes, because not one of us is outside of a “DESPERATE SITUATION”. This is because our need for Father’s assistance is confirmed by the Bibles instructions to “REQUIRE HIM AS YOUR VITAL NECESSITY”. If this is not a state of desperation then we must review our comprehension.

The New Testament teaches us that we need to review whether or not our treasure is really in heaven, and is most clearly seen when it costs us our earthly treasures in order to obtain heavenly treasures.

The environment often controls and contributes to our “DESPERATION” — it identifies faith as opposed to presumption, or what is often called “blind faith”. It cannot be blind when we are encouraged to see God in our “environment” or circumstance, and often we have to be desperate before we will look away from our surrounding circumstances and see God’s majesty on every hand. Even the heathen are without excuse.

Romans 1:20                                      For ever since the creation of the world His invisible nature and attributes, that is, His eternal power and divinity, have been made intelligible and clearly discernible in and through the things that have been made (His handiworks). SO [MEN] ARE WITHOUT EXCUSE [ALTOGETHER WITHOUT ANY DEFENSE OR JUSTIFICATION]

Psalm 19:1                                          THE HEAVENS DECLARE the glory of God; and the FIRMAMENT SHOWS and proclaims His handiwork.

“HOPE”, the antidote for “DESPERATION”, does not come from knowing everything will be OK, “HOPE” comes from truly knowing God. “DESPERATION” frequently involves RISK, a stepping out on what we cannot see but what we cannot doubt, for which there is only one choice.

Someone once said something along these lines, “The height of your relationship to God will be determined by the depth of your hunger for God”, or in other words, the degree of “DESPERATION”, “LOVE THE LORD, DESPERATELY”.

To be “DESPERATE” is to be “DISPARATE, two totally different words, but if we engage in the first we will evidence the second.

“DISPARATE”                        =  “Fundamentally different or distinct in quality or kind”. This is described in the Bible in a very succinct way, with very attractive results.

Ephesians 5:11                                  Take no part in and have no fellowship with the fruitless deeds and enterprises of darkness, but instead [LET YOUR LIVES BE SO IN CONTRAST as to] expose and reprove and convict them.

How precise is the dictionary definition above, we are to be “Fundamentally different and distinct”, or “DISPARATE”, such a “Contrast” as to be a glaring example of the results of our “DESPARATION” for God, so much so that we don’t have to speak, our lives will be the catalyst of conviction.

God is looking for “DESPERATE AND DISPARATE” people, He calls them “PECULIAR”, not peculiar “odd” but peculiar “special”, and I cite Old Testament principle, with New Testament relevance.

Deuteronomy 14:2                          For you are a holy people [set apart] to the Lord your God; and the Lord has chosen you to be a PECULIAR people to Himself, above all the nations on the earth.

Some would be as unkind to suggest that this would make one a “fanatic”, someone gone overboard or beyond what is normal, well that is probably a good description, and I dare you to confront the Apostle Paul with that suggestion when, and if, you get to see him, so take plenty of Band-Aids!!!!

Some people when confronted with a “DESPERATE SITUATION” do not look to the way through the test, but they just engage in “RESIGNATION”, they forget the old cliché, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going”, but we choose to ignore that toughness comes from the conditioning of Father’s dealings so that we grow and mature.

PEOPLE NEVER KNOW WHAT THEY ARE CAPABLE OF UNTIL ALL THE OPTIONS RUN OUT.

If there was never a breeze, trees would be fragile. Plants grown indoors, without any kind of wind buffeting them on a regular basis tend to become weak. So, before they are planted outside in the wild conditions, their structure has to be strengthened by causing stress. We are to be “Trees planted by the water”, not indoor decorations, but with a root system developed by desperately going deep during the times when the pressure is not so intense, so that the tree can say, “None of these things can move me”. Remember, stress is what makes a tree strong enough to sustain the wear and tear that it will face later in life.

Habakkuk  3:19                                 The Lord God is my Strength, my personal bravery, and my invincible army; He makes my feet like hinds’ feet and will make me to walk [not to stand still in terror, BUT TO WALK] AND MAKE [SPIRITUAL] PROGRESS UPON MY HIGH PLACES [OF TROUBLE, SUFFERING, OR RESPONSIBILITY]

I would like to conclude with maybe a short safari into a couple of the lives nominated earlier.

THE WOMAN WITH THE ISSUE OF BLOOD (LUKE 8:43)

 

There are so many aspects of this poor woman’s state that we may be able to identify with in part; let me make a list of those things that would cause “DESPERATION”.

 

• An incurable health condition
• Hygiene an unending battle
• Now destitute
• Considered by society to be unclean
• Weakened by anaemia
• Embarrassed by her condition
• Superstitious
• Shy and withdrawn
• Naïve as to Jesus sovereignty
• Run out of available Doctors
• Prohibited by such a large crowd

 

But see what “DESPERATION” can achieve, when there is no hope, when everything seems hopeless, when you have exhausted every avenue you can imagine, then there is no alternative but “To go for Broke”.

Many people were touching Jesus at this time, this would not have gone unnoticed by the woman as she elbowed her way through the rolling masses, no doubt getting abused for her brashness and bad manners, she was on a mission and so, don’t get in her way.

She had become inured to what other people thought of her because she has been isolated for so long, exploited by so many physicians, cut off from any real social contact because her “issue of blood” which according to the commentators, was like “WATER RUNNING”.

Her anaemia (the loss of iron) would have debilitated her, to the degree that she would probably have been exhausted at the slightest exertion, and the dizziness associated would disorient her at times.

She was so downtrodden that she cringed just to reach the tassel on the hem of His garment, maybe surreptitiously crawling along the dusty path on hands and knees, she dares not look Him in the face, so superstitious that she thought her healing would come through her finger, not her faith, she could do a “hit and run” hopefully with some relief if not a miracle, and no one would be any the wiser that she had intruded on the Messiah.

She had to breach the crowd, brave and outwit the fervent “body guard” of Disciples to get to the Man, and if she got that far would Jesus refuse her entreaty? DESPERATION TAKES RISKS AND THIS WAS ONE SIGNIFICANT RISK, IT IS NOW OR NEVER.

We must, like this woman, keep reminding ourselves of the desperateness of the situation and the potential for success.

Matthew 9:21                                    For SHE KEPT SAYING TO HERSELF, IF I ONLY touch His garment, I shall be restored to health.

NOBODY LIKES TO THINK THAT OTHERS KNOW THAT THEY ARE DESPERATE, IT IS A LONELY ROUTE, DEMANDING A GREAT DEGREE OF FORTITUDE AND DETERMINATION.

Note the sequel; Jesus said “WHO TOUCHED ME”, He didn’t say “HEY YOU”, the disciples were incredulous, because the throng was pressing hard on every side, not by the desperate so much as the dubious, out to see if He would do something miraculous, something to talk about rather than do something about.

She was “DISCOVERED”, exposed before the masses, but not mortified by the Master, miraculously delivered, not just healed, for the “issue” stopped “IMMEDIATELY”, and as is always the case with Jesus, all other aspects of her life were brought to order, because He acknowledged her and called her “DAUGHTER”.

That’s what sort of  “DESPERATION” is needed by the people of God today, not some pampered pussy footing around the demands of God’s Word, but irrepressible determination to achieve what is needed, fighting our fears and foes, expending energy that has been sapped by circumstance, perceiving the potential that is possible in God, denouncing the deceit, disposing of doubts, declaring both inwardly and outwardly the Lordship of Christ, so that not only do we “GET WELL” but the myriads will see the transformation of our lives and so be convicted and convinced.

 

MAN LOWERED THROUGH THE ROOF                                                  (Luke 5:18-19)

Luke 5:18-20                                      And behold, some men were bringing on a stretcher a man who was paralysed, and THEY TRIED to carry him in and lay him before [Jesus]. But finding no way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him with his stretcher through the tiles into the midst, in front of Jesus. And WHEN HE SAW [THEIR CONFIDENCE IN HIM, springing from] their faith, He said, Man, your sins are forgiven you!

The BBE version puts verse 18 like this “And some men had with them, ON A BED, a man who WAS ILL, WITHOUT POWER OF MOVING; and they MADE ATTEMPTS to get him in and put him before Jesus. The KJV says he was “Palsied”, which is “a paralysis, especially that which is accompanied be involuntary tremors”

Again, let me list the circumstances.

 

• He was a cripple
• There was obviously no cure for his malady
• He could do nothing to get himself to see Jesus
• There was not only a crowd, but also all the Pharisees
• Not only the Pharisees but all the teachers
• He was bed bound
• He needed 4 men to carry him,
• He was obviously unemployed
• With no income, he would have been “dependent”.
• His social circle reduced to visitors
• No foreseeable future except isolation and inactivity

 

Here we have a story of “DESPERATION” on more than one level, not just the man himself but also four other men who have accepted at least some degree of responsibility for his welfare, and by their following actions, equally as “DESPERATE” for a result as he was.

Mark 2:3                                              Then they came, bringing a paralytic to Him, WHO HAD BEEN PICKED UP AND  WAS BEING CARRIED BY FOUR MEN. 

I wonder whose idea it was that this man should be taken to see Jesus, was the man so fed up with his lot in life that he cajoled these men to get him there, or were the men so busy with their own lives and responsibilities that they would be glad to have this commitment relieved. We can speculate all we wish, but the facts of the matter are clearly enunciated.

The timing was not of their choosing, it was when Jesus happened to be in the place, the time and place are not particularly mentioned here, but from Matthew 9:1 it seems it was at Capernaum. So, they had to collude to be at the same place at the same time and when they could get this man to Jesus.

It would again be speculation but if it took four men to carry him, he was either heavy or the distance was quite extensive. If it was nearby maybe it would have only needed two men, but they were all ready to take up the challenge.

If it was not embarrassing enough to have to be carted in to get to Jesus, there was not only a crowd but an assembly of the big wigs of the Sanhedrin were all gathered, oozing suspicion and eagerly watching to see if they could score some points and so this group of 5 had to run the gauntlet of officialdom.

Have you ever tried to attend an event but found on arrival that there was no parking, or that all the seats were taken, or that you couldn’t get within cooee of the venue as the throng was so thick, all pressed up against the barriers or plugging the foyer, and you were trying to get three kids in with you to see the show? Well, have some empathy with these four men, having gotten to the venue, didn’t have a chance to get into the house, let alone an audience with Jesus.

“DESPERATION” sets in, a plan is hatched, how many other plans were discarded before someone decides that there is space above even if there is no space laterally, and that to destroy someone’s property is legitimate due to either the circumstances or the “DESPERATION”. So here are some of the questions.

Q 1.                 Whose house was it, did they know the owner or did they take it into their own hands to rip the tiles off the roof?

Q 2.                 Where are we going to get a ladder to get on the roof?

Q 3.                 Which part of the house is Jesus in, so we get the right spot to drop their mate into the house?

Q 4.                 How do we get him onto the roof?

Q 5.                 We will need some good strong rope.

Q 6.                 Why are we doing this, can we justify our actions?

Q 7.                 What do we do if he doesn’t get healed, how do we get him out again?

Q 8.                 Who is going to either repair the roof or pay someone to do it?

Q 9.                 What is the sick man doing while all this is going on, egging them on or expressing his own solution?

Q 10.               Jesus knew what men were thinking, why did He not make it easier?

It doesn’t matter how many questions we can raise, the result is what counts, and see what the Bible says, again in a corporate manner.

Luke 5:20                                             And when He saw THEIR confidence (Here is the occasion of corporate “DESPERATION”  ..  comments mine) in Him, springing from] their faith, He said, MAN, your sins are forgiven you! (Here is the outcome of faith ..  comments mine)

The energy and the ingenuity involved and required in striving to come oneself or to bring a cripple to Christ’s feet seems a supremely absurd waste of energy to a cynical critic, who feels no need of anything that Christ offers.

This would be the mindset of the Pharisees and the Teachers, they would be thinking, as they sat on the side lines scratching their heads as to why anyone would be so stupid. It looks rather different to the paralytic on his couch, and to the friends who long for his healing, the risks involved would be well worth the outcome if Jesus was Who they thought He was.

Ephesians 6:13                                  Therefore put on God’s complete armour, that you may be able to resist and stand your ground on the evil day [of danger], and, HAVING DONE ALL [THE CRISIS DEMANDS], to stand [firmly in your place].

 

DESPERATION, WHEN DIRECTED, DEVELOPS A DETERMINATION AND TURNS DISAPPOINTMENT INTO DELIGHT, DELIVERING THE DEFINITION OF GOD’S DESIGN INTO DEFEAT OF THE ENEMY’S DICTATES.