The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. – Psalms 23:1-6 NIV
We walk amidst a dark and blighted world, hungering for hope and blinded to its reality. We plead and yearn for a realized dream and beg for answered prayer. We wrestle with society to claim our own identity and when we find it, we fear our other-ness.
We know there is something missing.
We have not found fullness in the love of our spouse. We have not found acceptance in the love of our parents. We have not found complete belonging in the love of our friends. Nothing on earth truly completes us. We feel alone and unseen. Our personhood cries out.
We hear about isolation in songs and read it in poetry. It is an ache that longs to be soothed. It is a terror that cannot be comforted. It cannot be medicated and it cannot be dulled. It is always nagging and defying logic. It is always our shadow, following relentlessly. It is unceasing.
It is separation from God. It shows itself in doubt and shows itself in pain. It is the constant barrage on our souls. It is an attack. It is meant to erode joy. It is meant to deflate trust. And it mocks our defeat. It laughs at us as we grope in the darkness, searching for hope.
And yet, our desperation is blessed. For in that time of desperate longing as we struggle, we stretch out our hands for something, anything. And in those moments that we reach, we are swept into the arms of a loving God. When we reach out we find comfort. We open our arms and find love. We open our hearts and find hope. We open our souls to our Heavenly Father and we find the fullness of love. We open our souls to Christ and we find salvation. We open our souls to the Holy Spirit and we have the Helper we so desperately need.
Desperation is a longing and the answer to that longing is the very love of God. There is no substitute to soothe that desperation but His peace. There is no replacement. It is rich and deep and filling and awesome. Desperation cries out for resolution. It begs for an ending. And it is blessed.
Only in desperation do we come to the end of ourselves and recognize our need for God. It is rock bottom, but it is also the trailhead that leads to the mountain’s summit. It allows our souls to step aside and welcome the power of Christ to do His will, His bidding. Desperation is blessed, for those moments are the moments when we need Him most and when we need our faulty decisions and shaky strength the least. He longs to wipe our tears, carry our burdens and be the strength that we do not possess. And so, our desperation is our recognition of our need for Him. And our desperation is blessed.
Written by Janet Keefe
