pointpg05

                Let us take a moment and look at the woman with the issue of blood in Luke 8:42-48. She had been subject to bleeding for twelve years and, according to some manuscripts, had "spent all she had on doctors". This would seem to indicate that she had tried just about everything that she possibly could, with no results. Although she is not described as desperate, she certainly showed the signs of desperation.

                Somehow she had come to the point that she believed: "If I only touch the edge of His garment, I will be healed." (Matthew 9:21)

                It is important to note here that it was no easy task to get to Jesus. In Luke, Jesus turns and asks, "who touched me" after the woman had touched Him and received her healing. Peter said, "Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you..." This crowd was not the easiest one to maneuver through, and yet, this woman drove herself through the crowd with only ONE focus:

                "If I but touch the edge of His garment..."!

                She had obtained the singleness of vision that God desires for us all. This singleness of vision will cause us to lay everything else aside for our ultimate goal, which will hopefully be the Lord.

                Does this mean that we must always be desperate before God will move? Of course not. God will do whatever is in our best interest at any given time and in any given situation. But if we do need to reach the point of desperation first, then there will be a plan and a purpose of God that far outweighs the particular prayer need that we have lifted up to Him.

                It must be mentioned here that it is entirely possible that:
              
                We can reach the POINT of desperation without reaching the point of DESPERATION!

                The Point of Desperation is reaching the place where we will give up anything and do anything to reach our goal. This does not always happen simply because of severe trial and tribulation. We believe that someone can reach the POINT of desperation without necessarily having to actually be DESPERATE.

                In Matthew 5 and Luke 6 when Jesus describes the "blessings" and "woes", we find that Jesus says that those who mourn will be comforted and will laugh, but those who laugh now will mourn and weep. Also those who are rich and well fed would come to hunger and loss of comfort.

                Does that mean that He did not want us to ever laugh or that He did not want us to eat our fill, or to have possessions, or to be comfortable? Not necessarily!

                Jesus denounced the spiritual leaders of that time because they had learned to interpret the appearance of the earth and sky, but were unable to "interpret the signs of the times" (Matthew 16:3).

                Joel and Amos both urge the people to put on "sackcloth" and to seek the Lord and to repent so that they might avoid God's judgement. Instead the people continued their eating, drinking, and their sinning. In Zephaniah 2:1-3, the prophet writes:

                "Gather together, gather together, O shameful nation, before the appointed time arrives and that day sweeps on like chaff, before the fierce anger of the Lord comes upon you. Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, you who do what He commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the Lord's anger."