In my desperation I prayed, and the LORD listened; he saved me from all my troubles. Psalm 34:6 NLT
I’ve had times when I thought I was desperate. I hadn’t been driving long, but I drove the car to school daily. Dad reminded me repeatedly when I was finished driving to always check the gas tank and gas up before it got too low. Well, I forgot. I didn’t check it the night before, and when I woke in the morning I was running late for school. Checking the gas was the very last thing on my mind. I had a full, fun day at school. Hours later I hopped in, turned the key, and the car started right up. As I pulled onto the road, the car chugged a bit, and my eyes flew to the dash. Oh no! It was on E and a red light was flashing! Immediately my mind flooded with “What am I gonna do?” thoughts and hopes I wouldn’t have to call my dad. Cell phones were a thing of the future, and I could foresee a long walk ahead of me. As I stuttered down the road, a gas station I had never noticed previously magically appeared. I ran out of gas just as I pulled into the station, and a few of the attendants (if you’re not old enough to remember when someone pumped your gas for you, that’s a gas attendant 😊) came out and pushed me to a pump. Whew! My desperation dissipated, but for a few moments, I couldn’t see hope!
Since that experience, I have learned many times over what true desperation is, in my own life and the lives of those around me. The situations go far beyond the inconvenience and embarrassment of running out of gas. They are overwhelming, fearsome, life-changing situations. They involve health, relationships, finances, career, children. Some are situations over which I have no control and often little to no influence. Some are situations that are quite obviously my responsibility, but I lack the resources to act. What do I do in my desperation?
What do you do? The options in our desperation seem to be limitless. We can turn to a friend and hope they can do something. Most often, they can stand with us, but not much more. Many turn to a substance, to shopping, to frantic activity, to over-eating, to a secret habit – filling their lives with a temporary “comfort” that in reality destroys. Others deny the reality of their situation and try to bury the desperation by escaping to a new place or a new person. Some feel so desperate they totally give up on life, some physically and some staying alive but only going through the motions. Henry David Thoreau said in 1854, “Most men lead lives of quiet desperation.” What do you do when you are desperate? Fill in the blank: In desperation I ____________________________
David’s answer? “In my desperation I prayed, and the LORD listened; he saved me from all my troubles.” That’s where my answer must begin too.
- Where are you desperate, running out of gas, today? Pray. The Lord will listen.