Are you hungry?
We all have to eat, every last one of us will get hungry, maybe even several times a day. I don’t know about you but I enjoy this luxury in life because it means I can enjoy food on a consistent basis. On the other hand, all of us can probably relate to the feeling of hunger at some point or another. There is no question what we need to do in order to fill that void and it is second nature for us to eat to take that feeling away. Humans, Americans especially, are always looking for things to fill the hunger that they are experiencing both physically and spiritually. I am going to talk about the spiritual hunger today.
The simple solution is we know we are hungry so we need to eat. The problem is, what can we eat that will help us satisfy that hunger? All too often I find that, in my spiritual walk, I crave the wrong things to satisfy me, or I decide to just not eat at all and suffer from spiritual starvation. This is a problem because I feel even more spiritually starved than I already was and when I am desperate I grab for anything that I can consume. I do not look for quality in what I’m eating, and I do not ask if it will be bad for me in the end, I just eat. This act of spiritually starving and grabbing for just anything is destroying the average Christian in the world today. We come away from church feeling just as hungry as before or feeling like we have to last for the next week on our single “spiritual ration”. But what If we were able to continue to fill that void throughout the week? I know this is going to sound cliché and a bit too simple but it really is what separates the spiritually hungry from the spiritually satisfied. Daily personal time with the Lord, or as Christians like to call them our Devotions, is vital to any Christian, because it is the fulfillment of the spirit fed hunger in our lives. As it says in Romans..
Romans 8:23b-28 “but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we await eagerly for adoptions as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”
My question is why don’t we hunger and thirst for the word in the same way we hunger for food? Why wouldn’t we want to drink the living water that will satisfy forever? Do we not believe that the words God has said are true? Is it truly a matter of unbelief alone or is there more at work here? I cannot say with certainty what could be the cause but I would be willing to say it could be any one, or a combination of these things I have mentioned above. As I read through Acts 2 I am reminded of how there are so many truths that seem backwards from what we think it should be. For instance, the way the people were courageous and filled with Christ was because they were fearful and hungry for God. They were blessed with courage because they only feared God and nothing else, and of course they were filled only because they hungered for God alone. This tells me that working to keep your affections towards God alone is vital in order to fill the void that all other things are create. This is vital for our spiritual well-being. Ultimately, with consistency and the working of the spirit through prayer, the Word will become a thing that we cannot live without. I have challenged myself in the area of hungering for the word and praying more intentionally these past few weeks. I encourage you to do the same. Get up early, take a walk, ask for the Spirit to soften your heart and mind for the word and then do not leave the book until you are completely satisfied with truths and promises you find there. The Word of God is a well of grace that we need to drink from daily!
Now I also have to bring into this the value of being completely sure of where your heart is at while doing this. This is not a human effort, instead it is a willingness to submit to God’s will for It says in Romans 9:16 “So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God who has mercy.” This and the prayer of others around me I have come to see that Time as precious and vital to life. It has been amazing to see the spirit work and reveal things in my heart that are starving me of my fulfillment in Christ alone. I pray for you that the Spirit will work in you the same way. It is fine if you feel unworthy or new to this experience but I encourage you to persevere in this endeavor. Pray for specific things that Christ would be working in your life and challenging you in. May you find grace and peace in the Lord and in hunger turn to the word and nothing else for satisfaction. May your affections be stirred for Christ alone and may you see the his work of changing you into the person God has called you to be in Christ.
Mathew 5:6
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”
Revelation 21:5-6
“And he who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’ Also he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.’ And he said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.’”
Isaiah 55:1-3
“Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live;”
