How desperate are you for God?
I have come across this question twice in this past month. It wasn’t so much someone asking me, but the Lord asking me as I have attended two conferences in the past month. The first was Korea Campus Crusade for Christ Summer Conference 2011. This conference included multiple sessions of prayer. As I observed the 11,000 students praying, ‘desperate’ was the word that came to mind. It didn’t matter that I didn’t know the Korean language. Their demeanor cried out desperation.
The second was CSU U.S. Staff Conference 2011. We just had a morning session today with Francis Chan as one of our guest speakers. I must say this was one of the most powerful moments I’ve ever witnessed or been a part of. Chan used the passage Revelation 3:5, “He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.” He painted a picture of how wonderful it would be if and when Jesus confesses us before His Father. From there, Chan ended with prayer. But from the start you could tell this wasn’t going to be a “normal” closing prayer. There was a sense of desperation from Chan that I have never seen in a person. It reminded me of the prayers throughout the Psalms and the Old Testament when biblical characters are crying out to God. It reminded me of the countless times men would tear their clothes before the Lord or pour ash on their heads and wear sackcloth. This man wanted God. This man needed God.
All of this has reaffirmed God asking me the question, “how desperate are you for Me?” As I dwell on these supernatural moments, I am asking the Lord to give me a desperate spirit. I want to be desperate for God in such a way where only He can satisfy.