People blame God or the devil for many things that are the result of their own choices—the things they choose to do, the decisions they choose to make, and the condition they find themselves in. I know we’ve been talking about desperate times as a means of testing, but it is important for us to do some soul-searching in these times, especially when it seems that the testing or desperate situation we are facing is beyond us and more connected to the environment we find ourselves in.
Sometimes economic, social, religious or political unrest are at the root of some of the desperate times we face. Sometimes the condition we are in is a result of the decisions we’ve made because of the environment we’ve come up in. But this does not absolve us of our responsibility as believers to be delivered so we can rise above these circumstances and begin to use our authority and power to make choices that lead to life as we come into God’s wisdom, knowledge and understanding.
Often we don’t want to take responsibility, so when situations in our lives or on the planet are out of control, we say things like, “Where is God? Why doesn’t God change this? Why doesn’t God intervene in this?” But we are missing the powerful role that we play and the effects of our collective decisions.
Injustice and many of the things that seem to be so far out of order are a result of our decisions. The wrong people are in authority. The wicked are in control. The righteous are suffering. This is not the plan of God. So anytime you see situations like this, your response cannot be, “God, where are You?” While the world is doing as it chooses, we as believers have a choice too. We can take responsibility and choose the actions that lead to life. We can stand up in our God-given authority and say, “If God has given me the responsibility of the earth, that means I have authority here, and that means I can do something about the situation. I am not a victim. I am not helpless. I don’t just sit back and let things happen. I have authority on the planet, and I choose life.”
We can change things. We can rectify things. We can do something about the situation. We don’t have to sit by and allow things to get out of control, feeling like helpless victims, believing for the rapture and eternal escape. We can pray.
God will intervene. He will send deliverance and His glory in answer to our prayers. Prayer is part of how we exercise the authority He has given us to bind and loose things in the earth. When we pray, we invite God to come into a situation. When we pray, we pray recognizing that we are stewards and cannot turn things around on our own. We pray expressing our dependence on God’s grace, mercy, wisdom and power. Then God in His mercy responds to our prayers and begins to correct, rectify and change things, and put them back in order.
We pray and we prophesy because we know if things are not right, we can ask for God’s intervention. The devil wants to make us feel as if we are insignificant and helpless. He tries to make us feel as if it won’t make any difference whether we pray or prophesy, because things look so bad. But those of us who have faith know that if we believe God, we can see change.
From family and financial crises to the crime and corruption in our cities, it may look like everything is going crazy. Wherever the trouble is, as saints of God, we should be quick to understand that if God has given us authority on this planet, then we can stand up and do something. We can pray because God has given us the authority in the earth to pray and come before Him and see Him act on our behalf.
This article is an excerpt of Desperate Prayers for Desperate Times: Unleash God’s Power in Life’s Darkest Hour (Charisma House, 2018) by apostle John Eckhardt. Eckhardt is overseer of Crusaders Ministries in Chicago, Illinois. Gifted with a strong apostolic anointing, he has ministered throughout the United States and overseas in more than eighty nations. He is a sought-after international conference speaker and has authored more than 20 books, including; Prayers That Rout Demons; Prayers That Break Curses; Prophet, Arise!; and God Still Speaks. Eckhardt resides in the Chicago area with his wife, Wanda.
Ron Allen 
Eddie Hyatt 
Michael L. Brown 
