It is GOOD to be DESPERATE

‘My soul longs for your salvation; I hope in your word. My eyes long for your promise; I ask, “When will you comfort me?” ’ Psalm 119:81,82 (ESV)

You are never in a safer place than when you are desperate before God. It may be hard to understand, but clear blue skies and a gentle breeze at your back can speak danger to the soul. Why? Because we easily forget that we are weak feeble, sinfully inclined ‘dust’ (Psalm 103:14). We easily forget that there is a lurking enemy who seeks to devour us (1 Peter 5:8). Success can be hard on the soul. We can get careless and prayerless when there is money in the bank.

The Lord is wise in His bringing us through this dangerous life safely into His heaven. He knows our ways intimately. He knows how much success each of us can handle before it begins to endanger us. He knows when we need a lean season. He knows when we need gloomy, stormy days to get us back on our knees. He knows when chastisement is necessary, or when we need a dose of humility—what the Puritans called ‘a crook in our lot’. He understands the depth of our sinful habits and our bent toward making a mess of things. He watches over His blood-bought loved ones with a particular and jealous love, and sometimes He orders things—for our good—in such a way that we find ourselves in desperate straits. Perhaps we were strutting our stuff a bit too much. Perhaps our Bibles were collecting dust, and our prayer times were fleeting. Perhaps we were beginning to puff with pride. Perhaps He needed to tug at the rug to get us low.

We are safe when we are low. ‘Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall’ (Proverbs 16:18 kjv). I am in a good place when I am desperate before God, aware of my sin, feeling the approach of the evil one, chastened by God’s loving hand, and confessing my weakness. We can trust in the goodness of the Lord to the extent that we can pray, ‘Lord Jesus, whatever it takes to get me and keep me close to You, I ask and invite You to do it. Keep me jealously by your side, and if it means you must take me through a storm or a valley, I trust in your loving wisdom as You do so.’ Embrace the hardship that brings you low as a needed thing from the good hand of your good God. Let the trial do its work. You are safe when huddled next to Jesus.

‘It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor than to divide the spoil with the proud.’ Proverbs 16:19 (ESV)