Desperate Times

I mentioned in my last post that I recently finished reading a book about C.S. Lewis and the radio broadcast talks he gave for the BBC during World War II that eventually became his classic book, Mere Christianity. The book goes into detail to describe the great lengths the BBC went to in order to provide Christian encouragement to England in some severely difficult times in the war. One particular bombing stood out to me:

"The orchestra could not cram itself into the small emergency studio, but Dr. Welch was determined that listeners should not go without their music that night. The microphone was placed under a table, and with bombs crashing all round the building, Dr. Welch delivered his talk, announcer Stuart Hibberd read quietly from the Bible and Paul Beard played the violin on his knees." (p. 77, C.S. Lewis In a Time of War)

This is an act of desperation. With bombs flying and buildings crumbling around them, huddled in some emergency studio because the normal one had been destroyed, these individuals knew just how badly the nation needed Christ at this time. They did not run for cover, seeking their own safety. They risked it all for unknown results. They were merely determined that on this night, during this crisis, England would not have to do without God. If there was comfort and hope and salvation to be found, they would be a part of it.

Where can this sense of desperation be found now? These men knew where their hope came from. There is no other reason to sit under a table a midst bombing, playing hymns on a violin, at the risk of great personal injury or death, unless you know deep in your soul where true comfort comes from. There may be no greater love for a nation than to abandon personal safety and comfort to provide what is so desperately needed.

And what are we desperate for now? What are we willing to go to great lengths for, to endure threats to personal comfort or safety? Football tickets. Political one-upsmanship. A great deal on Black Friday. An opportunity to check our Facebook account. Great abs. This is what I see passion for now, in myself and society. We'll stand in lines, give up sleep, offend friends, and devote countless hours to these.

How desperate are we, though, to provide Christ? How much are we confident that this is what our friends and family and neighbors and enemies need in the middle of all the storms in life? And when we do bridge that gap, do we do so in order to "win one for our side" and prove that we're right, or is it because we're desperate to provide comfort?

We're all thirsty. We're all desperate. All of us. The question, then, is this: what are we desperate for, and what are we providing to those thirsty souls around us?