The Antidote To Quiet Desperation
If there is a two word phrase that can best
summarize our culture, quiet desperation might be
it, (though I sense the desperation getting
louder). There is a certain internal panic that
people have that something is going to go
terribly wrong, and that there is going to be
nothing that they can do to fix it. They distract
themselves with celebrity news, sports,
entertainment, politics, and so on, neglecting
the spiritual void within themselves. Times of
trial tend to move people to seek God, but such
has been often temporary, sadly too often, due to
the church not being what it should be. Yet, the quiet,
internal desperation, worry, angst, and
uncertainty prevail. I know as you do that even
Christians can sometimes get to a point of quiet
desperation. We are good at keeping secrets lest
others think we are weak or "lacking faith" as if
it is sin to feel anger, worry, fear, or panic.
These things are normal human experiences. What
defines whether they are sin or not is based upon
how we handle them and what we do with the thoughts and emotions that flood us.
Brothers and sisters, we are human, and we hurt
and struggle. Some of us hide it better than
others, and some of us have an easier journey than others.
But for those who keep within themselves a quiet desperation, there is hope.
Let us start by rehearsing what we know from
Scripture. First, we must remember that God will
never leave us or forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5).
Second, let us remember that God will never tempt
us beyond what we can handle. (1 Corinthians
10:13). Third, let us remember that in this life,
we do have trouble, but Christ has overcome this
world. (John 16:33). Thus, we have the weight of
the glory of eternity. (2 Corinthians 4:17), to
remember and to set our hope entirely upon. (1
Peter 1:13). Yet just knowing these truths is not
enough. We must believe them. Faith is believing
the promises of God and acting upon them, whether
we feel like it or not. This is the challenge. The battle is for faith.
Never can we say that we cannot have victory
because we can…by faith. (Mark 9:23, Philippians
4:13). Never are we justified to say that we
cannot have hope or joy, (Philippians 4:4),
because that is the right of the child of God ...
who believes. Never are we justified to stay in a
state of internal desperation,
though the external circumstances could be very
desperate, (as Paul said, "perplexed but not
despairing."--2 Corinthians 4:8). We must believe
that the Scripture is truth when it says "the
steadfast of mind you will keep in perfect
peace." Why and how does this happen? "Because he
trusts in You." (Isaiah 26:3). We must believe
that statement, and then we must act upon it by
setting our minds upon Christ. So faith is not
passive, but it is active. This is why the
Scripture says that faith without works is dead.
(James 2:17). Faith that is true faith leads to
change, and faith is what is needed to break us
out of a state of quiet desperation.
For those feeling internally desperate for
whatever circumstances, we must choose to believe
the Word of God, and to trust Christ at His Word
that He is able and faithful to give us peace.
There is no other answer. This is not to say that
there are not practical things to do as well. Faith is not "blind
faith", which crawls under a rock waiting for God
to intervene. Granted, we can do nothing on our
own power, but God is honored when we walk by
faith by taking proactive steps of obedience.
When circumstances close in around us, most
certainly we should pray and trust, but let us
not forget that the fruit of trust is faith,
action, and obedience. We must not use the idea
of waiting upon God as an excuse for laziness.
There will be times where we must wait for God to
move, but even the waiting phase can be a time of
great energy in prayer, seeking counsel of
others, taking small steps of obedience, and so
on.
I know from my own walk with Christ that there
are times when I just need to stop and pray
because I am so overwhelmed that I can’t even
begin to take steps of action. I need to cast my
cares upon Him because He cares for me. I ask Him
for wisdom, trusting Him to give it as He
promised He would. Then when my heart and mind
are at peace, not because my circumstances are
any less complex but because by grace through
faith, I believe that God is faithful, I start
tackling the tasks before me of that day.
Scripture says that each day has enough trouble
of its own, so rather than worry about tomorrow
and all that could go wrong, I must focus as God
gives wisdom and strength upon what needs to be
done this day. As each step of faith and action
is taken, wisdom, strength, and direction is
given for the next step. Many times in life we
will be perplexed and overwhelmed, but we must
not become desperate, such that we demonstrate a
lack of faith, and retreat from walking by faith.
Even as death closes in, we can have great joy,
peace, and hope. Christians should not be known
for their desperation, but for their hope. (1 Peter 3:15).
Desperation, though a common condition and a
downright spiritual epidemic, is not to be
normal, and it is not healthy. Christians are not
to be desperate people, for we are those who are
to be built upon the solid Rock of Christ. Our
lives are not built upon sinking sand; therefore, we are not those who
are sinkable, unless we, like Peter, look to the
waves, rather than the One Who can talk to the
waves and tell them what to do. We can
spiritually walk on water by faith, and it is the
devil who is the only one who needs to be
desperate. Scripture says his time is short to wreak havoc, (Revelation 12:12),
but we have eternity to live with Jesus.
Desperation should not characterize our lives,
but rather, the peace which surpasses all
understanding should guard our hearts and minds
in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7). He alone
can keep us in perfect peace, but we must believe
Him that He will do that for us. Then when Satan
assails our faith, we must rest in our faithful
God. God is bigger than the devil, and He is
never desperate. He is our shelter, (Psalm 61:4),
and our shield, (Psalm 18:30), and it is in His
shadow, (Psalm 91:1), in which we rest. God’s
children don’t need to be desperate because our Father never is.
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