Desperate Situations

Today we live in what you might call desperate times, when tragedy can take place any time or any place.  Take the Philippines as an example, it was life as usual, the people went about their daily routine like they normally would have, then the typhoon rocked their world and every person was effected in some way or other and more than 2,000 people died and who knows how many were injured and their whole world changed, as they knew it, in one day.  Many people lost homes, loved ones and some most everything they had.  When you think about it, it is hard to believe the difference one day can make.  Any time a big storm hits a populated area, which they have many times, it changes people’s lives and it can take place anywhere with very short notice or no notice at all.  These types of storms are not the only things that can make people experience desperate times.  Before I go any further, please pray for the Philippian people and support these people if you can, thank you!!  

When people are desperate, they may respond in different ways.  Some may run, others may dig in their heels, so to speak, and fight, still others may get angry and bitter and some may sit in denial pretending it didn’t happen, whatever the circumstances or situations.  I was reading God’s Word this morning and I read about a man that was in a desperate situation.  He was blind and also a beggar, which happened to disabled people in that day that couldn’t work unless they had relatives or friends that would take care of them.

You can find this story in Matthew 20: 29-34, Mark 10: 46-52 or Luke 18:35-43 which says, “Then it happened, as He was coming near Jericho, that a certain blind man sat by the road begging. And hearing a multitude passing by, he asked what it meant. So they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. And he cried out, saying, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’

Then those who went before warned him that he should be quiet; but he cried out all the more, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’

So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be brought to Him. And when he had come near, He asked him, saying, ‘What do you want Me to do for you?’

He said, ‘Lord, that I may receive my sight.’

Then Jesus said to him, ‘Receive your sight; your faith has made you well.’ And immediately he received his sight, and followed Him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.”

Before Jesus came on the scene and walked the earth there would have been very little chance of this man being healed; Jesus was his only hope and being desperate in a desperate situation, he responded by crying out to the Lord for help despite his shame.  He could have responded very differently in some of the other ways I mentioned earlier in this Tidbit but he did the best thing.  He cried out saying, “Jesus thou son of David have mercy on me,” knowing that Jesus was his only hope.  Even when the people rebuked him he would not be silent, this was his chance and he was going to get the Lord’s attention and not give up.  Then Jesus commanded him to be brought to Him asking him, “what shall I do unto thee.”  

It seems like the blind beggar could see better spiritually than the religious leaders calling Jesus, son of David; he must have known Jesus was the Messiah but the religious leaders who saw the miracles were blinded to this fact and refused to recognize Him that way.  Because this man was persistent and refused to be silent and expressed his faith in the healing powers of Jesus, Jesus said this, “receive thy sight, thy faith hath saved thee,” which means he was healed and saved at the same time and also was not a beggar anymore but a child of God!!  Tradition says that he followed Christ to Jerusalem and was a staunch believer in the early church.

I cannot begin to know all the ‘whys’ that people have for the tragedies in their lives; all the things that make people desperate, but I know that Jesus is the answer.  He said, talking to His disciples, in John 16:33, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

Jesus encourages the disciples to take courage in spite of what they may face they will not go through it alone.  This is the hope of every believer that the Lord will never leave us or forsake us, He will not abandon us no matter how desperate we may feel our what we have to face; just ask the three Hebrew boys that were thrown in the fire or Daniel who was put in the Lion’s den and many others I could put down here.  Yes, believers will face trying times and devastating experiences at times but Jesus overcame and through Him we can overcome also, so keep on hanging on and in the end it will be worth it all.  Something for you to think about!  May God bless you and may you have a super day!!