“How much do you want?”
—Mary Bailey offers a roll of money to desperate Building and Loan customers.
I cannot even imagine how desperate we might feel if we had no hope for tomorrow and no Savior to walk with us into it. Today, may be filled with challenges, but we have grace and the riches of Christ to manage. For those who do not know Christ, desperation is a real thing and we see it repeatedly in the world through irrational mental decisions and reckless foolish behaviors. In these moments, grace-filled believers can be a voice of victory and a calming peace in the world. Let your trust in God be heard through your voice!
In our lesson, today, from the movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” there is a run on the bank and people are panicking. In the midst of the chaos, George seeks to be a calming influence; a voice of reason to hang onto hope and work together. The people don’t know where to turn to find security. Many of the people turn to Mr. Potter who is there to rob them of what is rightfully theirs. Mr. Potter is not panicking, because he has everything to gain from the desperate actions of others.
George seeks to open the eyes of his friends to the truth, but he is struggling to sway them from self-slaughtering. Desperation is screaming in their ears to run toward foolishness. That is when Mary comes forward with two thousand dollars of wedding money and a creative yet temporary solution to the problem.
Desperation can be like a double-edge sword. It can work to destroy hope, self-worth, and bring forward unrighteous thinking, or it can bring value to our sometimes complacent lives—provide a profound change in our spiritual connection with God. Spiritual breakthroughs happen many times when facing desperation with God’s help. Things like ego bow in humble surrender. When we seek God’s creative solutions to our desperate times, we can walk in the wisdom and grace of God. When it comes to grace, I believe God asks us, “How much do you want?”
OT Scripture: Psalm 34:6-7 NLT “In my desperation I prayed, and the Lord listened; he saved me from all my troubles. For the angel of the Lord is a guard; he surrounds and defends all who fear him.”
NT Scripture: Romans 15:13 NLT “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Prayer: Lord, we are spiritually desperate without you. Thank you for the blessing of knowing the Truth and being able to humbly bow to receive divine help and grace because we always need it. In Jesus’ name.