Having been in Charismatic circles for nearly two decades, I have been around long enough to hear a good number of leaders, teachers, and speakers say that “Desperation moves God.” Well, I’m here to tell you that desperation doesn’t move God, but that there is also good news—while it doesn’t, there is something that does.
Why do I say desperation doesn’t move God? Because it doesn’t. But even if we aren’t willing to just take my word for it (which you shouldn’t), a simple look at life situations tells us this is true. How many desperate people in dire situations do you know of where the solution to the problem has not been dropped into their lap? If desperation moved God’s hand, then the most difficult of circumstances would always be solved. Those who live in war-torn areas, have been raped or kidnapped or sex-trafficked, physically attacked, been on their deathbed from a sickness or disease, or any other highly problematic situation would always see divine intervention saving them if our distress was what moved God.
I know a number of people who got pretty distraught around the time their loved one either fell mortally ill, or right after they died—and had asked God to move—and yet still the desired result did not come. If desperation was what it took to get God to move, then I would never walk away from a dead-raising opportunity with the dead not raised. Why? Because if that was all it took, I could easily channel my inner emo and muster up all the hopelessness needed to put me in such a position to receive from God. But more often than not these circumstances become an opportunity to fellowship with the hurting in their suffering instead of seeing God do a miracle. If desperation moved God, things would turn out differently.
In some ways it is probably good that it isn’t what gets God to move. Why? Because despair is an extremely fickle thing. In fact, being desperate is essentially an unstable emotional state and in addition to being highly unreliable, is both undesirable and non-duplicable. It is unreliable in that it is difficult to control when we become desperate, not to mention that it is not a healthy state of mind to be in. As such, it is also undesirable. If it was good for us, and got Kingdom things accomplished, then it would be something we would push ourselves into, and that would be terrible. Can you imagine people intentionally damaging their emotional state in order to get miracles to happen? I’m actually thankful it doesn’t work that way, or that’s what we would see.
Finally, it isn’t able to be duplicated. While sure, I guess we could depress ourselves enough in a given situation to replicate results, desperation doesn’t grow as the fruit of the spirit becomes more evident in our lives, and thus we actually can’t grow more desperate as we become conformed into the image of Christ. If we do, then we have to question if we actually are being conformed more into His image. Given that desperation isn’t something we should aim for to begin with, as it is usually an indication of striving and trying to do things in our own power instead of connecting with and relying on God, it isn’t something Jesus taught his disciples to do. The reason that matters is that Jesus was training his disciples to go and perform miracles. He taught them to heal the sick. He intentionally revealed to them how they could get God to move on their behalf, and desperation was nowhere in his curriculum.
So what does move God?
Faith.
Hebrews 11:6 says, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
Faith is pleasing to God, and when we please God, God rewards us for seeking Him. Desperation is the utmost of doubtful striving because we don’t actually believe we have a solution to the problem. After all, if we thought we did have one, we wouldn’t be so desperate. Faith, on the other hand, not only helps us connect with God, but it releases good things upon us as a result.
The next time you hear someone tell you that desperation is the key to moving God, just remember that it not only won’t, but can’t. But faith both can, and will, and it is through faith that we inherit the promises of God in Christ Jesus. Even better, faith, like a mustard seed, can be cultivated and grown over time with no damaging emotional effects, and we can share it with those around us, bearing even more of the fruit of the Spirit as we are conformed continually into the image of Jesus Christ.
