Desperate Prayers for Desperate Times: Unleash God's Power in Life's Darkest Hour

by John Eckhardt

FEATURES AND BENEFITSReveals five elements of Hannah’s breakthrough prayerEmpowers readers to get the last word over the enemyEquips readers to find joy and victory in God’s presence and experience the “thousand realm” of blessing  There is powerful breakthrough awaiting people who pray desperate prayers. Using the prayer of Hannah as a model, Apostle John Eckhardt invites readers to a life of prayer that consistently sees results. Through biblical teaching and practical application, this book takes readers through the five key points of Hannah’s prayer that can help them remain steadfast in prayer.   •      Getting desperate for God to deliver the answer to their prayers •      Persevering despite torment, harassment, and a broken heart •      Seeking the presence of God  •      Making a vow to God and keeping it •      Prophesying and watching new things spring forth   When all options are exhausted and everything we were holding on to has failed, God steps in. He hears our cries and remembers His promises to us. He never turns away the desperate. The dreams and visions God has placed in the hearts of His people will come to pass, when we learn to pray desperate prayers.

220 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 7, 2018

About the author

John Eckhardt is overseer of Crusaders Ministries, located in Chicago, Illinois. Gifted with a strong apostolic call, 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 twenty books, including Identifying and Breaking Curses, Prayers That Rout Demons, Prayers That Break Curses, Prophet, Arise!, and God Still Speaks. He also produces a weekly television program, Perfecting the Saints. Eckhardt resides in the Chicago area with his wife, Wanda.

Reviews

[Jerrye Tellmeagreatstorylove · Rating 5 out of 5]

Desperate Prayers for Desperate Times by John Eckhardt

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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Story Notes

I am a firm believer that the Lord brings people, places and especially books into our lives when we need them most. Just when we are most dragged down or discouraged, He breathes new life into our Spiritual walk with oft-times quiet but powerful influences. Such was the case for me with this wonderful book by John Eckhardt. The Publicity coordinator at Charisma House offered this book to me for review and I am very thankful she did. I have no doubt the Lord arranged this offer because He knew I needed it at this precise moment in my life. This year has been full of health crises with my grandparents that required long hours from me, as well as some personal disappointments that have left me wondering when this season of tough times would give way to joyful celebrations. With the additional longing of a marriage, home and a family of my own, I have struggled to find ways to “praise Him in the storm”, to quote Casting Crowns. But God always brings me just what I need and this book on prayer was certainly it. John Eckhardt begins his look at desperate prayers with the story of Hannah, mother to Samuel the prophet of Israel. Hannah’s heart was so burdened by the barrenness of her womb that she prayed desperate prayers to the Lord for His mercy and grace to fall on her and give her the child she desired. Her husband’s other wife was also mocking her lack of fertility, making her situation all the more woeful. But Hannah believed the Lord would honor her name (which means Favored) and would give her the son she had longed for for many years. Mr. Eckhardt looks at the desperate, heartfelt prayers of Hannah to show that when we desperately desire something, within the will of God, mind you, we have to be willing to cry out to Him with all we have and be willing to make any real vow needed to release the blessings He wants bring us. Mr. Eckhardt is careful to remind readers that God provides blessings when we are in Covenant with Him and doing as He requires. But we must also understand that the Lord longs to bless us and is only waiting for us to ask, never giving up, until He has brought all things into alignment for the blessings to come forth. God is not a genie who will give you whatever you ask for but He is a God who delights in giving good gifts to His children. Mr. Eckhardt further goes on to show that when we are persistent in our prayers and willing to give it all to God for His purposes we are in line to receive blessings that are beyond our imagining. Not only will God grant our deepest desires but He will further use those granted desires to touch others outside our situation. My favorite lines of the book were these: ” Listen, God is not the God of one, the God of two, the God of three, the God of four, the God of ten or even a hundred, He is the God of a thousand.” This was such a great reminder to me that I am the one who “limits God’s blessings” if I am not willing to ask beyond what I can see as my desire’s fulfillment to the greater fulfillment that He can bring in His answer to my prayers. Mr. Eckhardt reminded me once again through the life of King David that everything is done for God’s glory, and if I am desiring the glory of God in and around my life then I need to make my prayers to include more than just my personal request. I need to make my life and prayers always pointed towards bringing God glory in every circumstance. Those are bold words to speak and I know they are even harder to put into practice, but I truly feel that the Lord grew me dramatically in my prayer walk through the reading I found in Mr. Eckhardt’s book. I was so very encouraged to persevere in seeking the Lord for my heartfelt desires and believing that He will pour out His blessings when I am truly ready to receive them. I was also challenged to pray more often and more boldly for my country and its leaders, both spiritual and political. Its easy to say “Lord, bless them today and help them make good decisions”. Its a whole other thing to beg God for the revival of their hearts and minds as is according to His will. Mr. Eckhardt finished his book with an excellent chapter on the New Things that the Lord has for His Children. I loved his phrase ” We tend to think that because God is ancient (Daniel 7:9 says He is the Ancient of Days) and has been around forever, somehow that means that He is stuck in the past. But God is a God who creates new things…….there is always a new day. There’s always a new sunset. There’s always a new spring. There is always a new summer……There’s always something new, because God created even the earth to represent the part of His character that always desires newness.” This was so wonderful to hear again and feel in my spirit that God was speaking this directly to me. I know He has good future plans for me and that He will bring them about at such as time as is perfect. My heart, however, was a little sore after praying for so long about my life with “little progress” to be seen. Thankfully, I am feeling refreshed in both heart and spirit and ready to persevere in prayer for the desires of my heart I know God will bring to pass. I’m so very glad I was offered this book to review as I know God has and will continue to use it in my life. I will certainly be recommending this book to others and can’t wait to share a copy with a friend who is walking the same road as I. Thank you Rachel, for sending me the book! May God pour out blessings on you for your kindness and on Mr. Eckhardt for writing so boldly what I needed to hear.

I received this book free of charge from Charisma House Publishing in exchange for a fair and honest review. I will receive no fiscal compensation for this review and the opinions expressed herein are entirely my own.

[Chiffon · Rating 5 out of 5]

In due season

This book spoke to me; I needed this word in this season I am in right now. If you begin reading it and you just can’t seem to get into it put it aside and come back to it later believe me when it’s time for this word to be released in your life it will be received and you won’t be able to put this book down.

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book. I mostly liked what I read at the beginning and the end but there was one area in the middle with which I have great reservations.

I like that Eckhardt begins his book by reminding us that we actually need times of desperation and desert experiences. “Without these seasons we would not be able to build the spiritual strength and character we need to withstand the weight of God's glory.” (x) It may be that God is bringing us to a new level. He reminds us of the work God can do in us when we are in a desperate place. I like that we need to realize the importance of personal prayer. We must recognize that we are in a spiritual battle and we must be in it for the long fight.

I like that Eckhardt explores the many possibilities there might be for God's delay in answering our petitions. It may be demonic activity. It may be we need to experience the results of a bad decision. God may be using the time to work deeply in us.

I like that in the latter part of the book Eckhardt writes that we must deal with the sin in our lives. (160) We must take away those things God tells us must go. (165) We cannot live just any way we please. There are such things as righteousness and holiness.

I was disappointed in the middle part of the book. Eckhardt goes into the typical Word of Faith teaching about multiplying finances and about how God has given believers authority over the earth and circumstances. We are to make confessions, to declare. “When I decree,” he writes, “something is going to change.” (113) “When you pray,” Eckhardt promises, “God will shake up every ungodly, wicked system that stands in your way.” (137) (He has included declarations at the end of every chapter for readers to use.)

Wait a minute. Eckhardst writes before and after this that God has a purpose to accomplish through our difficult circumstances. God is working on us, on our character. He is preparing us for something. Yet Eckhardt would say that our decreeing and praying would change those circumstances. Which is it? Do we humbly seek the character change God is doing through our circumstances or do we boldly (arrogantly) declare the circumstances changed? This is an example of contradictory teaching: suggesting we learn from our circumstance yet that we declare those circumstances changed.

At the very end of the book, Eckhardt says there is a purpose for being in a desert place. God is doing a work, perfecting character traits we need for what He has for us and to be able to bring glory to God. (199) I like that. Rather than declaring your circumstanced changed, find out what God is working in you through them.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

[Jara · Rating 5 out of 5]

"What's interesting about Josiah's beginning actions as king - and something we will find out later - is that this young man had no Book of the Law. That wasn't discovered until later. All of his actions at this point were based on his desire to seek God. And with that desire, God put in Josiah's heart the motivation to remove idols and images from throughout the territory. Josiah began with purging the land of Judah and the city of Jerusalem.

How do we apply this in our lives?

As you seek God, you find Him. And as you come into His presence, conviction comes, and you begin to want to take on His image, which is holy. You are motivated to remove things from your life that separate you from God and His standard of holiness. A person who is seeking God for any period of time will begin to remove the idols and unclean things from her life. That's why you cannot tell me someone is truly seeking God and still holding on to idols. This purging is also a picture of deliverance.

See, we often want revival, but we don't want to get there God's way. We want to see a move of God in the land; we want peace and freedom in our lives; we want fulfillment of dreams; we want blessings; we want fruit, increase, and multiplication; but we don't want to seek God and begin to deal with the things in our lives that we place before God. But this is what should happen and what Josiah modeled for us during his reign in Israel." - p. 156

"What Josiah did here may seem harsh or extreme, but the priests were false priests, and it shows the level of Godly righteousness and zeal in this 20 year-old man. He doesn't deal with stuff in a nice way, which is a problem we have sometimes. We want to deal with the enemy and his devices in a nice way, but that is not how we break free. Sometimes it takes righteous zeal to tear down the idols and things in our lives and in our land that rise up against the knowledge of God. We can't just pat them down. Sometimes we have to cast them or throw them down.

So the Bible is telling us that Josiah began to break stuff down. He dug up the bones of the false priests - as if their control and false prophecies over the people were not dead enough - and burn their bones. It is as if he called the coroner's office and had their bones exhumed just to make sure every evil thing they led the people into was good and dead." - p. 157

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Desperate Prayers For Desperate Times by John Eckhardt is a powerful tool to help us in our prayer life. We must believe that "When we pray, He hears you." Prayer is our lifeline to God. Prayer draws us closer to Him. John Eckhardt says "if you learn nothing else, learn how to pray." Jesus prayed desperate prayers in the Garden Of Gethsemane. Likewise we too must learn from Him.
Prayer is our key to overcoming. When we pray, we must fix our eyes on Jesus. If we lower our eyes, we see our problems. So lift your eyes and see God.
We must persist in our prayers. We may spend years in the wilderness but the promised land is coming. If God has said He will act, then He will act but it is all in His timing.
How big is your God? Do we limit God? Do we put God in a box? Let God be God. Take Him out of your box and watch His awesome power at work.
Desperate Prayers For Desperate Times is a powerful book. It will enhance your prayer time. It will equip you with the tools you need for life. It will enlarge your God.
The book backs up its statements with Biblical passages, studying some in depth. At the end of each chapter are prayers scripturally based.
An essential book for Christians old and new.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will shake your world.

As I started reading, at first I thought this doesn’t really apply to me. I’m not going through anything major in my life. But the more I read the more I realized we should all be desperate for God because we live in a world that desperately needs him.

Sometimes it’s not about what we are going through but about what the world is going through. We can’t give up and think life is going to suck until Jesus returns. Our prayers can make a difference.

For me this book woke me and showed me that I have stopped praying for areas of my life or world because I haven’t seen movement and that isn’t okay.

The end of each chapter has declarations you can make that will be earth shattering.

I don’t often love non-fiction books but this one I loved. We all need to read this.


A copy of this book was given to me. All opinions are my own.

[Dahyana Hoagland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Great Prayer Book

I am on my second read now. I have for so long wanted to know someone like this individual. I continue to walk in Christ with more understanding and grace from the Holy Spirit. A must for the Spiritual Growth library.

[Sue Odenwelder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably the best book I have ever read on prayers. There is such a wealth of information in this book m.
if you’re having problems feeling like your prayers aren’t getting through that there’s a glass ceiling then you need this book. Highly recommend.

[Marsha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the kind of book you buy and keep on hand as a reference guide for future tough times.

[Katie Willmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommend!

[Ana Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Justo cuando pasaba por ese tiempo desesperado encuentro este libro. John Eckhardt, uno de mis autores favoritos porque la guerra espiritual es real y sus libros tratan de ello. Desde principio a fin el Señor me habló a través de este libro 🙌. Lo recomiendo...

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

John Eckhardt's books are foundational so I rarely gain anything new from them. This would be a great primer for someone who desires to learn about the value of prayer.