Desperate

A tradition in one of the bands I play with is to "give back" a free concert for the annual Recovery Day held in Vernon BC (about an hour north of K-town). It's a privilege to be involved, and listening to the stories of those in the midst of recovery is both humbling and inspiring.

The first two steps in a classic Twelve Step Program (Alcoholics Anonymous being perhaps the most well-known) go something like this:

1. We admitted we were powerless over "___________".
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

The majority of those sharing their stories at the most recent Recovery Day made no bones about it: their "higher power" went by the name of Jesus. And they were grateful for His intervention in their lives, often weeping as they spoke.

I am hardly the first person to make this observation, but it was profoundly moving to me that day:

These precious people in recovery were desperate for God to move in their lives. They had nowhere else to turn (John 6:66-69).

A desperation that we seldom see reflected in our churches. (Or in my own life, for that matter...)

As I listened to the testimonies during Recovery Day, I was struck afresh with the realization that only those who "hunger and thirst for righteousness" (Matthew 5:6) will have their hunger and thirst satisfied. Those who are incapable of seeing (or admitting) their need will be left to their own devices (Revelation 3:17).

And as someone who pines for genuine revival, Lord, let me be hungry, thirsty, and desperate!