Sunday School at 9 am | worship at 10 am

Prayers for Desperate Times

Sermons on prayer have a way of disturbing me. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a sermon on prayer that didn’t take me beyond conviction to the point of feeling guilty and/or inadequate. I may be a pastor, but I’m not what you call a prayer warrior. I pray, but not intensely. Not fervently. Unless of course I’m terrified of my circumstances. Then I can pray fervently.

When do you pray the most? When things are going well, or when times are desperate? I have a sneaking suspicion that you’re a lot like me when it comes to prayer. We pray with fervency and urgency when we’re in some kind of crisis. It’s when something huge is overwhelming us that we pray. It’s those times when we know that disaster is looming unless God steps in that we find the time and the words to pray.

As Christians we sometimes have these guilty thoughts—Why don’t I pray like this all the time? Am I just trying to use and manipulate God? And those are legitimate questions to ask ourselves. But at the same time, the Bible tells us story after story of believers who prayed to the Lord in desperate times. We could even say they prayed desperate prayers—and the Lord answered them. He didn’t criticize. He didn’t say: Oh! So now you’re praying to me! He answered, and His grace flowed out in surprising ways.

This week we are starting a new series of sermons on prayers for desperate times. We’re going to look at several different believers in the Bible who were facing an overwhelming crisis. They called out to God and He answered.

The first story is about Jacob and Esau. Lifelong rivals, the two brothers seemed to always be on bad terms with one another. And for good reason. Jacob had stolen Esau’s birthright. He did that by deceiving their old, blind father, Isaac. Esau was so angry that he promised to kill Jacob as soon as their elderly father died. So Jacob ran away with the shirt on his back and went to live with relatives far away. He worked for his uncle Laban for 20 years. During those years Jacob married Leah and Rachel, and acquired two concubines. These four women gave him thirteen children—twelve sons and one daughter. In addition to his large family, Jacob became a wealthy man, amassing a great number of flocks and herds. Then things went sour between him and Uncle Laban and that side of family, so Jacob had to return home.

In the back of his mind was what he had done to Esau, and Esau’s threat to kill him. But that was twenty years ago. Surely Esau had forgotten what Jacob had done. Jacob didn’t know he was about to face the most desperate time of his life. Desperate times lead to desperate prayers. Maybe that’s where you are right now. You’re in some relational or emotional or financial or spiritual or moral crisis—or maybe a combination of all the above—and you’re praying desperate prayers. If so, good. This Bible story is just what you need.