We all at times face ‘desperate situations’ in life, and at such times often resort to ‘Desperate Prayers’. But does God hear those prayers? At such desperate times our faith in a sovereign and gracious God is so often challenged and we really wonder whether our Heavenly Father is really listening. The honest truth is that usually it is us who are not listening to God’s answer. In the face of disappointment, tragedies, persistent problems, unexpected disaster or ill health, we so often cry out in desperation and expect or desire an instant answer from God, and when it does not come immediately, or the answer is not what we are looking for, our confidence and faith is so easily shattered. So what can we learn from God’s Word about ‘Desperate Prayer’? Jonathan Redden has helpfully brought together a collection of wonderful examples from scripture of ‘Desperate Prayers’ and shows us what we can learn about a sovereign and gracious God in the way He responds to such ‘Desperate Prayer’. This should not only give us a renewed confidence in our Heavenly Father, but also help us to understand that He is sovereign and does not always answer prayer in the way we would expect or wish for. It is all too easy to rejoice when God answers our ‘Desperate Prayers with a ‘Yes’, but can we still trust Him when the answer is ‘No’? Whatever God’s answer, we need to be reminded that God is good at all times, even when the answer is not what we are looking for.
