HOLY DESPERATION by Carter Conlon

You and I are living in what I call “an hour of holy desperation.”

Our society is degenerating very rapidly, and horrific crimes are occurring so often that we are becoming dulled to it all. The abnormal is becoming normal; evil is becoming good. As you look around perhaps you wonder, “How do I fit into this moment in time? What can God do through my life? And if He is going to do something, why is it that my prayers, that I know are according to His Word, have not yet been answered?”

To help address some of these questions, let’s look at another time in history when a desperate hour came upon a nation. The book of First Samuel speaks of a season when there was no clear word or vision. The priesthood that was supposed to represent God was instead deeply compromised (see 1 Samuel 2:22-24, 3:1). God’s character, purpose, and mind were hidden from the people, leaving them without answers to the questions in their hearts: “What is happening in our society? Where are we going?”

This situation was very similar to the day in which we live when it seems as if the presence of God—His power and provision that we have known throughout our history—is suddenly gone. It appears that the enemies of God now have the upper hand, dictating to us when we can pray, what we can teach our children, what is right and what is wrong. As a result, a deep cry is beginning to form in the hearts of the people.

Psalm 107 speaks of these seasons of holy desperation that recurred throughout history. The psalmist describes a people who were wandering, hungry, fainting and held captive. It was a time marked by a foolish handling of the truth of God. Yet it is in these very moments of desperation that the general population begins to cry out to God, as is beginning in our day. There is a cry rising in this generation—a cry not necessarily heard by the natural ear, but God hears it. It is like the time He came to Moses and said, “I have heard the cry of the people and I have come down to deliver them” (see Exodus 3:7-8). In other words, I have heard their groans of hopelessness. Today the Lord hears the cries of those whose dreams have been shattered, of parents whose children have gone astray, of those who ask, “What happened to us?”

“I have surely seen the affliction of my people . . . and have heard their cry” (Exodus 3:7).


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Carter Conlon joined the pastoral staff of Times Square Church in 1994 at the invitation of the founding pastor, David Wilkerson, and was appointed Senior Pastor in 2001. A strong, compassionate leader, he is a frequent speaker at the Expect Church Leadership Conferences conducted by World Challenge throughout the world.