Why We Need Desperate Prayers

Is there no one divinely empowered to fell the Goliaths of our age? Perhaps we need only look in our bathroom mirrors. If you believe in Jesus and are desperate for God, you qualify as one of God’s elect.

We have erroneously held that God’s chosen will never be assaulted by the adversary and driven to desperate day-and-night prayer. But desperation is often the very crucible in which God’s elect are forged.

Jesus portrays this characteristic metaphorically in the parable of the widow who petitioned a hardened judge for legal protection (Luke 18:3). Although the judge was initially unwilling, by her “continual coming” (v. 5) the widow gained what was legally hers.

It is possible that this widow may have represented the church in a desperate prayer for protection against her adversary. We need the “legal protection” that a national revival provides; but it will not come without unceasing prayer.

It’s our turn to pray. We are the widow who cannot give herself a reason for failure. God will answer our cry if we position ourselves at His throne. Certainly, He will grant us legal protection in our cities and our nation.

Francis Frangipane is the founder of River of Life Ministries in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and has traveled throughout the world ministering to thousands of pastors and intercessors from many backgrounds. His heartfelt prayer is to see established in every city Christlike pastors and intercessors, united before God, revealing the love of Christ to their communities. Since 1985, Frangipane has written 14 books, plus a number of study booklets. Over the past decades, he has served on a number of other ministry boards. However, in recent years he has gradually resigned from these various boards. As of June 2009, he has also retired from his position as senior pastor of River of Life Ministries. In his more simplified life, Frangipane is devoting himself to prayer and the ministry of God’s Word.