Hunger. . .It gnaws at You. What Satisfies Our Hunger?
“What are we hungry for tonight for dinner?”
“Let’s meet for lunch. What sounds good to eat?”
“Do you want to go out for some breakfast?”
Simple questions. Simple, yes, but questions that most every person alive ponders daily—
What shall I eat, at this time during my day?
What will satisfy my hunger?
What do I most want to eat?
Dinner—Lunch—Breakfast.
Breakfast—Lunch—Dinner.
Breakfast—Mid-Morning Snack—Lunch—Afternoon Pick-Me-Up Snack—Dinner—Midnight Snack.
Food fills our stomachs; Food sustains our being for a time; Food satisfies our longing, for a season. It is a truth; we need food to survive. Even those who live in a third-world country where, sadly, a single arch potato may be the only source of food for the whole day, still then, food is a necessity and cherished commodity.
Hunger. It gnaws at You. Our internal being growls, and our brain shouts out loud: “I’m starving to death!” We become weak when we go without food, and we begin to become weary. Our throat is parched, and our stomach senses a need to gnaw at our internal ribs. HUNGER . . . IT IS A REAL THING!
When we are so hungry that anything will do, we will consume anything (well, almost). We will place all kinds of “junk food” into our mouth in order to fill the void that we sense so deep within our stomach.
Nutritionally, we cannot survive without food and water.
Nevertheless, before we reach that point—the point of death due to lack of food—we will reach a point where we do not even sense the feeling of hunger. I know you may have been there before, like me. We have needed to wait for lunch because the morning’s work kept us too long, or we have need to postpone dinner because of a greater need that suddenly arose, one that kept us away from the dinner table. Oftentimes, once we have reached the point where our brain screams, “Hey, you. Yes, you. I’m here inside you, STARVING, you know, TO DEATH!” However, something weird occurs after that point if we do not feed our body. At that point (after we have waited so long), our hunger dissipates until suddenly it goes completely away from us. When that occurs, we will just wait for the next time (later in the day) when we are hungry again, and then we will eat.
BUT, WHAT IF WE NEVER BECAME HUNGRY AGAIN—EVER?!!!
That’s the thought that consumes my mind this day, and that is the truth God is revealing to me today. Hunger . . . It gnaws at you & me, but who satisfies our hunger? Who satisfies our Hunger?
WHO? HOW CAN OUR INTERNAL HUNGER EVER BE COMPLETELY FILLED?
The Bible speaks much about the intake of food. In the Old Testament, we find Scripture that speaks of the dietary restrictions of the children of Israel. In the New Testament, we find Scripture that speaks of the way we can offend a brother with the intake of certain foods. Truly, God understands our fascination with food, and why are we even surprised? God is the Creator. God knows His creation so well. It is God who placed within us our craving for food, and the Word of God tells us how it is God who has the power to sustain and fill that which we thirst and hunger—FOR—but do not believe my words. Believe God’s Holy Word.
“When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him.
He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying,
‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
You are the salt of the earth;’ . . . .”
(Matthew 5: 1-13a)
A list of eight character traits for godly people—right out of the mouth of Jesus Himself!
A list of eight character traits for godly people—from God Himself!
Today, I am focused upon the fourth character trait.
Without a doubt, we hunger and thirst; God created us for the intake of daily nourishment.
Without a doubt, we hunger and thirst ALSO for God; It is a truth, God placed an innate desire within us to know HIM.
We are to seek daily nourishment, & We are to seek the daily nourishment of God.
Without a doubt, we are not to chase the wind; yet, rather, we are to SEEK the Creator of the wind. Every Single Day. Then, as we do, SEEK GOD DAILY, we are given another promise from God—one day, we will reside forevermore within His presence, where we will praise and worship our Savior, King, and LORD.
“After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands;
and they cry out with a loud voice, saying,
‘Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.’”
(Revelation 7: 9-10)
Thus, as we SEEK GOD’S DAILY intake of His Holy Word, we are given another promise from God—one day, we will sit within His presence at His banquet table, where we will celebrate the most glorious marriage supper of the Lamb, one where we will share in the Lord’s Supper within the presence of our Savior Jesus Christ.
“Then he [a fellow servant] said to me, “Write, ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’ “ And he said to me, ‘These are true words of God.’ ”
(Revelation 19: 9)
May we ”hunger and thirst for righteousness,” & “be satisfied.”
May we look around us at all the brothers and sisters in Christ who surround us daily.
May we realize and celebrate (here on earth) the diversity found within the church of God.
May we love these brothers and sisters who live differently than we do.
May we not speak evil of them (our brothers and sisters in Christ), but may we raise our hands and praise our God who has made us so unique and so similar—all at the same time.
May we realize the truth—the hunger and thirst for the righteousness fills the inner being of mankind (both the saved and the lost).
May we (the saved, the child of God) not deprive our inner being of the Word of God—so long—that our hunger disappears.
What can we (God’s children) do to satisfy our hunger—for God’s righteousness.
May we sit with God today, “feasting” upon His Word.
May we walk with Jesus today, “hungering” to become more like Jesus.
May we follow the leading of God’s Holy Spirit, “thirsting” after His Righteousness.
May we Seek God—Today!