The Cry in the Desert (continues…)

Can you hear the groans, the cries, the prayers, prophecies, longings, hopes, and despairs of parts of the Church calling out in this season? There are some who have been led into the wilderness, and they are desperate, weary, frustrated, groaning, prayerful. As I look around me, I hear the sighing, groaning, and longing of many aching souls, and their hearts seem to sigh under the burdens of several key themes, whether they have language to express it or not.

I think there are a few main themes aching in the heart of the Church right now:

“I want the real thing!”
I hear the sound of a wilderness cry from a multitude of Christians, many who have been in Church for decades, groaning before the Lord, gasping for a sight of His glory. For the hint of harvest or a glimpse of revival. They want to see the book of Acts in their day. The promised miracles, outpourings, signs, and wonders aren’t happening for them. “Either this stuff is real, or let’s all go home now!” They’re not willing to play at Church anymore.
“Where then is the God of Elijah!” their hearts groan.

“I’m so lonely”
I also hear the cry of millions of lonely Christians, lost in the crowded ranks of sing-a-long Sunday services, but never truly making deep friends among the people of God. It’s not everyone, of course; there are some beautiful communities, but there are also many more lonely people than is healthy. Crowds and events don’t cure loneliness, and yet we are sold the lie that a bigger church is a better church. We might have full church buildings, but the statistics show that we are led by many lonely leaders, and our pews are filled with isolated believers.
There is a crisis of belonging, still, within the Church. The model might need to change.

“I’m so very, very tired”
And leaders are not only lonely, they are weary. Fatigued by the types of church and ministry that leave them maintaining buildings, filling rotas, writing policies, confronting deacons, dodging Jezebels, and trying to keep up with the ever-growing job description of a modern Church leader in a consumerist world.
These faithful servants got into ministry out of love for Jesus, His Word, and to make a difference in the world. But decades on, for some, it has all become too wearisome and complicated. Fruitlessness discourages them. With Isaiah, they cry, “I have laboured in vain; I have spent my strength for nothing at all.” Their souls groan in fatigue and frustration before the Father’s throne. But God hears it all, including the next cry…

Tomorrow we’ll continue with the Cry in the Desert – then begin to find out why it’s happening.

God My Strength and Companion. When I am weary, the Lord is my strength. He said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). He renews my soul, for “those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint” (Isaiah 40:31).

I know that I am never truly alone, for “the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6). Even in my loneliness, I am surrounded by His love and comfort. Jesus calls me His friend (John 15:15) and the Holy Spirit is my ever-present Helper (John 14:16–17).

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