When Desperation Calls

Aim: To find strength in Jesus, even in the midst of great danger.

Doctrine: Being in tough straits is not all bad, because it drives us to serious goals, and it exposes our truest hearts.

Exegesis: When it is prudent to feel desperate: when God is not inclined to hear prayer (14:19-15:1a); when God surrenders sinners to their own devices (15:1b-2); when God brings the curses of the covenant to bear (15:3-4).

Further application: How we turn desperation into blessing: by possessing a different spirit (than that of the age), and believing that God freely His true children.

Key verse: 14:20 ''We acknowledge, O LORD, our wickedness and the iniquity of our fathers, for we have sinned against You.''