ourselves and focus on Him ; a life given over to Him ( Matthew 16:25 ). It doesn ’ t mean giving up all your dreams and becoming miserable , it means that when you give up all your desires and everything that you think you need to become happy , full and satisfied in this life , and are determined to have just Him , then you will truly find a life that ’ s worth living .
Then [ with a deep longing ] you will seek Me and require Me [ as a vital necessity ] and [ you will ] find Me when you search for Me with all your heart ~ Jeremiah 29:13 AMP
Hannah was a desperate woman . She badly needed a child . Peninah had refused to leave her alone and she kept mocking and ridiculing her . The pressure was becoming too much for her and no matter what her husband Elkanah did to make her happy , it wasn ' t working . Hannah kept on praying and believing God for the fruit of the womb , but it seemed God was taking longer than expected . The longer it took , the more desperate she became and one day , she couldn ' t bear it anymore . Her desperation took her to the altar at Shiloh and it is here where everything changed . This is the same place where she and her husband went for worship , but this time round , Hannah decided to do things differently .
One time , after they had finished their meal in the house of the Lord at Shiloh , Hannah got up . She was deeply distressed , and she cried bitterly as she prayed to the Lord . Meanwhile , Eli the priest was sitting in his place by the door . Hannah made a solemn promise : “ Lord Almighty , look at me , your servant ! See my trouble and remember me ! Don ’ t forget me ! If you give me a son , I promise that I will dedicate him to you for his whole life and that he will never have his hair cut .” ~ 1 Samuel 1:9-11 GNT
This was no ordinary prayer , it was made from a desperate heart and God honored and answered her prayer . walk with God when you will find yourself between a rock and a hard place and it ’ s in such times when your faith in God is truly tested . The issue , I believe , is not about what we are going through , but about where your heart really is . These are some of the things that will clearly expose the condition of your heart .
Jacob , for example , was one man who had undoubtedly experienced God in his life . Yet , in his walk with Him , and through various circumstances , God exposed character issues that he needed to deal with . At some point , he had to deal with God ’ s Angel all night . Jacob was left alone that particular night and I believe that he didn ’ t know how he was going to face his brother Esau . Having deceived him of his birthright and taking his blessings , he knew that it will take God to get him out of the situation . He was desperate for God to bless him and through this encounter with God ’ s angel , his name and character was changed .
God sometimes pushes us to the wall and places us in situations where only He can get us out . His aim is to shape our lives in the areas of frustrations , dissatisfaction and even failure , which more often than not leads us to desperation . If we are discerning enough , then we should make the best use of the opportunity we have because out of such desperate situations , can come life-changing experiences .
Someone has put it this way : “ Possessing a “ desperation factor ” is a vital ingredient of growth and change . There has to be a huge sense of “ want to ”, “ need to ” or “ must ”. Without this strong desperation , you will not pay the price to change and live a life of greater discipline and purpose . An important principle in the personal journey of every believer is this : “ What you tolerate , you will never change !” It is only when we refuse to tolerate something in our own lives ( not “ others ”, where we often need to be patient and loving ) that we raise our sense of desperation and push through the pain barrier to bring about change ”.
Jabez was a desperate man . His mother had named him Jabez saying , “ I gave birth to him in pain .” He cried out to the God of Israel , “ Oh , that you would bless me and enlarge my territory ! Let your hand be with me , and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain .” And God granted his request ~ 1 Chronicles 4:9-10 NIV
The above portions of prayer from the scriptures are perfect examples of positive energy that is triggered by desperation . There are times in your
6