What to do when You feel Desperate

But they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength.

Isaiah 40:31

Have you ever been in a desperate place? It could be spiritual, emotional, physical, or financial. All share the common thread of not knowing exactly what to do, but you know that you must do something. We are human and subject to desperate tendencies in the unplanned and unexpected. Some say desperate times call for desperate measures; yet, we know that there is nothing that is desperate in God’s eyes.

The Lord will never pace heaven on what we should do or not do because He is the beginning and the end, the Alpha and Omega. However, if we have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ—we don’t have to succumb to feelings of desperation. Instead we can W.A.I.T. on the Lord…

W – Wait patiently on God.
“Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!”
(Psalm 27:14)

Waiting on God isn’t passive. Instead we are proactively waiting when we pray and search His word for direction. Our patience is directed at God’s faithfulness.

A – Anticipate God’s intervention in His perfect timing.
“I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.” (Job 42:2)
God is aware of our dilemmas and He will move at His appointed time. We can’t make Him move faster. His timing is also perfect and works in conjunction with His will not only for our lives—but for those around us.

I – Identify any source of anxiety and deal with it.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (Philippians 4:6)

Worry will be knocking at the door of our hearts and minds 24/7. We must choose to refuse its entry into our emotions. We acknowledge to ourselves and God in prayer that anxiousness isn’t an option, but we choose to pray instead.

T – Take only steps of faith not fear.
“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7)

Every decision made in fear has a long tail of regret. However, every decision made in faith will be revealed by righteousness—God will honor our faith in Him. Our faith matures when we learn to trust in spite of the adversities.