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.

Maybe that’s a bit too drastic, but I’ve had this happen many times in my life.  Sure, I will praise God and seek after Him when life is going well, but it just doesn’t have the same focus and intensity as when life and the world is bringing you down.  This is where I find a certain aspect of God’s grace I’ll call Gracious Grace.  It is analogous to a child only coming to his/her parents when they are hurt.  Or a wife only coming to the husband when she needs something.  That’s not right.  That is a dysfunctional, parasitic relationship.  I wouldn’t appreciate that kind of relationship and I am sure you wouldn’t either.  In the same way, we shouldn’t have this kind of relationship with God.  Yet, God in His infinite love will continue to pour out His gracious grace to us.

We seek God more in times of trials and tribulations, when maybe we should actually be seeking Him all the time in every aspect of our life.

There’s another side to this story that I was thinking about.  Is this actually the way God designed it?  Or another way of putting it is, “Is God okay with it this way?”  After all, He is God and we desperately need grace.  There are also Scripture passages where God’s grace seems to be more prevalent.  Take the Exodus story for example.

Exodus 2:23-25 says:  “Now it came about in the course of those many days that the king of Egypt died.  And the sons of Israel sighed because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry for help because of their bondage rose up to God.  So God heard their groaning; and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  God saw the sons of Israel, and God took notice of them.

It sure seems like the Scriptures portray God listening to them more because of their suffering and pain.  Maybe the Lord knows what we need and knows how we are going to react.

To reconcile everything together I propose two points.  One, I think it comes down to a maturity issue.  I think we need to ‘love the Lord our God with all our hearts, souls, and mind.’  Praise Him in the good times and the bad.  He is God.  If we are seeking Him through it all, I think He will be honored and pleased whenever we come to Him.  And He will continue to show us grace whether we deserve it or not.

Two, our relationship with God is heavily one sided.  We fall drastically short while God’s love and grace is going to surpass anything we can imagine.  It will surpass anything and everything we need.  It is infinite.  Remember this and things suddenly become clear.

In the end, I think I already have some thoughts to this idea.  But for now it is just something to mull over.

Let us not confuse hard days with bad days.  And let us not have bad days

In the same way, I wonder if there have been times in my life that God is “breaking my legs” in order to (1) discipline me and (2) teach me not to wander off.  Is He is breaking my legs now???

1. There is absolutely nothing that we can do to know God.  God has to reveal Himself to us before we can know Him.
2. Our understanding of inspiration is only speculation.  There is nothing full proof, except that the Scriptures are God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16).
3. General Revelation should lead us to a hunger for Special Revelation.
4. And finally, the most interesting thing I found was that God drove Adam and Eve out of the garden to protect them from eating from the Tree of Life so they wouldn’t live forever in a sinful state.  It was an act of mercy and grace when God kicked them out.  I always thought about it from the perspective that they got kicked out because of their disobedience.  While this is true, it is interesting that God was also protecting them at the same time.

Hope some of this helps!

All I have to say is, “Wow!”  This was such a powerful message that was both challenging and encouraging to me.  Platt spoke on Hebrews 13 and Numbers 13.  He repeated a question, “Are we going to die in our religion or are we going to die in our devotion?”  One of my favorite quotes, “Let’s risk it all!”

So without further ado, here is David Platt

After I listened to this message a couple of times I couldn’t help but be motivated and ready to take the charge he had brought before us.  But shortly after I also had a fear come over me.  I wonder if this will live with me for a short while and then I will retreat back to my comfort zone.  God give me strength, faith, and boldness to go on your mission.