God will help you in your desperation
Matthew 14: 22-32
How many have ever been desperate? That’s what I want to talk about today, God will help you in your desperation.
First of all I want to give you the meaning of the word “desperate.”
Nearly hopeless, critical, extreme urgency, or as last resort.
A situation so serious as to be at the point of crisis or necessary to resolve a crisis.
It means urgent, despairing, frantic or distraught with fear.
Have you ever found yourself in the middle of desperation?
These disciples sure did. For what began as a calm, peaceful boat ride ended up as a night of terror.
These boys were in serious trouble. A huge storm was rocking their boat. Huge, heavy waves were splashing against their vessel.
They were facing strong and fierce winds and they were relentlessly struggling to stay afloat, and they were far from land.
These guys had gotten themselves in a desperate and serious situation.
Now, as if the storm wasn’t enough, as if the ship about to sink wasn’t enough, about 3:00 in the morning, in the midst of their desperation, they saw someone walking on the surface of the water!
They were terrified, panic-stricken, filled with apprehension and fear.
They cried out, “It’s a ghost!” For they knew it was impossible for water to support the weight of a man, therefore they thought it must be a spirit.
But they had no where to run. They were trapped in the storm! They must have though, “This is the end, we are done for!”
Then Jesus spoke to them in the midst of the storm, “Don’t be afraid, take courage, it is I, or I am here.
In the midst of their desperation, Jesus came by!
Are you in a desperate situation this morning? Hold on, you’re not going to sink, you’re not going to drown, because in the darkest time of your desperation, Jesus will come on the scene.
God didn’t bring you this far to let you sink. He brought you this far to show His power to deliverance.
Then, Peter finds himself in another desperate situation. He was brave enough to ask Jesus if He would allow him to walk on the water also.
Sounds kind of fun doesn’t it. Peter was always ready to face a challenge! And this was too good to let it pass by.
Peter had never walked on the water before, this would be so cool.
Sounds exciting, to say the least. Jesus responded by saying, “come”.
Can’t you just see ole Peter very cautiously climbing out of the boat, and dipping his toe in the water?
And then, one step at a time, he is walking on the water!
Wow! Look at me fellows! I’m walking on water!
But then, all of a sudden, his human senses return to him, as he realizes he really is walking on water, and the storm is raging, and the waves are splashing against him, and the wind is blowing, he became terrified once again and took his eyes off of Jesus, who was the source of this miracle!
He began to sink into the water. Not so exciting now! He was in the middle of desperation and fear.
So he cried out, “Lord save me!”
I’m quite sure some of you here this morning have had that moment in your life when you thought you were going to sink.
You were going through a storm in your life, and you tried your very best to help yourself, but found out very quickly that you could not manage the situation you were in.
Isn’t it funny how we will try everything within reach to help in our desperation before we cry out to Jesus!
But then you finally decided to step out in faith and trust God, but the enemy sent fear and doubt, you thought you were going to sink, because even though you started out in faith, you began to focus on your situation instead of focusing upon Jesus.
And when you took your eyes off of Jesus, you had nothing to hold on to.
Listen, if you lose your faith, there is nothing to hold on to!
Peter began to sink because he took his eyes off of Jesus, and began looking at the circumstances, he became fearful, and with his eyes off Jesus, he had nothing to hold on to.
Jesus reached out and grabbed Peter, just as he was about to go under and said, “Oh thou of little faith, why did you doubt me?
You may say, “Peter had some faith, because he did walk on the water.”
You are right, he started out in faith, but he never saw it through to completion.
You may begin in faith during your desperation, but you have to keep your eyes on Jesus.
You cannot lose your faith half way through your desperation, you must keep the faith all the way through.
If you are focusing on your troubles, you aren’t looking unto Jesus!
You cannot focus upon Jesus and your desperation at the same time. You have to trust God. Even when the storm is raging you must trust Him.
Trust Him all the way through until you have victory!
You see, Peter bring his faith to completion. He didn’t see it through.
But when he cried out to Jesus, He lifted him out of the water, and rebuked him for his lack of faith.
Now notice something here; even after Jesus lifted Peter out of the water, the storm didn’t suddenly cease.
They walked through the storm together until they were inside the ship.
Then Jesus rebuked the storm, and all became calm again.
You may have to walk through your troubles, but when you trust in Jesus, He will walk with you all the way through.
I am thinking of someone else who was in a desperate situation.
St. Mark records in Chapter five;
Mr 5:25 And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years,
26 And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse,
27 When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.
28 For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.
29 And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.
30 And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes?
31 And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?
32 And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing.
33 But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth.
34 And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.
Can you imagine what this woman was going through? She had this blood condition for twelve long years.
Verse 26 says she had suffered many things of many physicians, but instead of getting better, she got worse.
She had no doubt went through all kinds of so called remedies from many different doctors, but to no avail.
She spent all she had to live on, seeking help, someone who could cure her condition.
This was a desperate woman! She had an extreme urgency. She was at the end of her rope. She knew if she didn’t get help soon, she would die.
But in the midst of her desperation help came by. In the midst her hopelessness, hope came by.
She heard Jesus was passing by. She knew that Jesus was her last hope!
So in her desperation she pressed her way through the crowd and touched His garment, and immediately she was healed.
For she said if I could just touch His clothes I shall be whole.
He doesn’t need to pay attention to me, all I need is to touch His clothes.
She was desperate, and found help in her desperation!
Now, are you in a desperate situation today? Have you exhausted yourself trying to find an answer, trying to be healed, trying to comprehend, trying to get through your trial?
I want you to notice something in this story about the woman with the issue of blood.
When she touched the clothes of Jesus, Jesus turned around and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”
Verse 30. Virtue had gone out of him. Power to heal. The word in the original means power.
Who touched my clothes? This he said, not to obtain information, for he had healed her, and must have known on whom the blessing was conferred;
but he did it, that the woman might herself make a confession of the whole matter, by which the power of her faith and the greatness of the miracle might be manifested, to the praise of God.
Mr 5:34 And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.
This woman had desperate faith! He had no other hope. She may not have had another chance, so she reached out in desperate faith and was healed.
How desperate are you today? Do you have a situation so serious as to be at the point of crisis or necessary to resolve a crisis.
Is there something in your life that is urgent, despairing, frantic or distraught with fear?
There may be someone here today who is desperate. Maybe you have reached the bottom of your resources and you have no place to go, you don’t know what to do.
Maybe you don’t know how to resolve some situation in your life.
Jesus can help you. When no one else can help, Jesus can help.
Maybe you are not at the point of desperation yet. Maybe you are just trying to resolve something by yourself.
You aren’t desperate enough to cry out to Jesus, Lord help me, Lord save me.
When you do reach your desperation, cry out to Jesus, trust Him, have faith in His promises, and He will help you.
The Bible is full of stories of people who were desperate. Time after time God came through for them. He will do the same for you.
But you have to trust Him! You must have faith in Him. You must lay aside all your dismal efforts, and trust in a God who does the impossible.
Close with altar call
