The Bible is full of many wonderful and powerful prayers. Some estimate there are over 650 different prayers recorded in the Word of God. Obviously, time will not permit us even to make reference to all of them. We have recorded for us the prayers of the Apostle Paul, of David, of Nehemiah, and many more. Probably the greatest prayers are those of Jesus when He prayed, “Not my will, but thine be done” and “Father, forgive them” for they know not what they are doing. Have you ever prayed “in desperation?” Desperation talks about a state of despair. Despair speaks of the complete loss of or the absence of hope. The Bible is full of accounts of those who reached times of times of “holy desperation” and prayed. Lamentations 5:1-22 is the prayer of Jeremiah for his nation. Notice his plea in vs. 21 near the end of that prayer:"Turn thou us unto thee, O Lord, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old.” In Micah 7 (vv. 1-3) Micah prays due to the condition of the nation: “Woe is me! . . . 2 The good man is perished out of the earth: and there is none upright among men: they all lie in wait for blood; they hunt every man his brother with a net. 3 That they may do evil with both hands earnestly . . . ” Jesus said before He comes there would be a time of of “perplexity” (has idea of losing one’s way). God’s people today are faced with a combination of forces that can only be met by the intervention of God. But here’s the problem: The situation today is desperate, but God’s people, by and large, are not. Today we are going to look at the prayer of Jehoshaphat. He prayed a powerful prayer in a time of great desperation. We'll see:

  I. THE PROBLEM -- VV. 1-2.

 II. THE PROCLAMATION -- VV. 3-4.

III.  THE PRAYER – VV. 5-13.

IV. THE PROPHECY – VV. 14-17.

V.  THE PRAISE – VV. 18-19.