On Your Face

There’s a saying, “Desperate times require desperate measures.” It originated hundreds of years ago from an ancient Greek physician, Hippocrates. Basically, it means that actions you might not have considered in the past become the best choices under adverse circumstances. We are in just such times, and if ever we needed to take desperate measures, it’s now.

We’ve been in desperate times for a year now with the pandemic and all the political and social unrest. We’ve kept the faith, mourned the loss of loved ones, battled illness and struggled through financial difficulties. Our faith has been tested over and over. We’ve been tired, weary, worried, blessed and lifted up all at the same time. But it‘s time to take things to the next level.

Exactly what does that mean? It means approaching the future differently. It means coming before the Lord with confidence and incredible boldness. It means pushing past the whisperings of the enemy that tell us to be afraid. And it means acknowledging who we are and the power and authority given to us.

It’s time to be on your face. Yes, we’ve knelt in prayer, cried out to the Lord, faithfully pushed forward. But given the continued uncertainty, desperate measures are needed if we want clear direction on the next steps we need to take. The Lord needs to know that we are determined and though unsure, our hope is in Him and His will for us.

Jesus knows all about that. His issues may not have been the same as ours, but He faced a life threatening situation. Right after the Last Supper, He felt the change that was about to come over His life. His heart was heavy so He went to the Garden of Gethsemane to seek the Lord. Not wanting to be alone, He asked the disciples to stay awake and pray as He prayed just a short distance from them.

Jesus was in anguish as He wrestled with His dilemma. He told Peter, John and James, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with Me.” Luke 26:38) He was so distraught and overwhelmed that He reached out to them for help. As it can happen to us, all of the disciples let Him down. They fell asleep three times. It was then just Jesus and the Lord, and He fell on His face before the Lord.

It was there that Jesus asked the Lord if there was any other way. We ask that question too in our trials. Keep in mind, though, Jesus asked in the context of doing the Father’s will. Desperate times need desperate measures. Like Jesus, we need to literally fall on our faces before the Lord too. Our hope and the answer to our problems lie in our desire to earnestly seek His will. He will walk us through and out of our trials, just like He did for Jesus.

Try it. What do you have to lose? Fall on your face and seek the One who loves you more than you know. Push in. Pray in supplication. See the goodness of Jesus as He intercedes and releases the Holy Spirit into your situation. If it was good enough for Jesus to be on His face before the Lord, it’s good enough for you.

“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.” James 4:10

Prayer

Lord,

I will clothe myself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience, because You have chosen me and love me. You guide the humble in what is right and teach them Your way. I pray that in my relationships with others, I have Your mindset: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to Your own advantage; rather, You made Yourself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, You humbled Yourself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! That anguish You endured on my behalf. Therefore, I trust in You. I place my life; my worries, stress, difficulties and challenges in Your hands. I humble myself before You and hold onto You as my only source of hope and strength. I believe that You are more than able to meet all my needs. Amen!


Photo by Naassom Azevedo on Unsplash

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