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Nov 11, 2023 06:00am

Stay Hungry

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Hunger is a powerful motivator.

Personally, I’ve not suffered from the type of hunger that comes from poverty or being without physical nourishment and I am so grateful. But, I can understand the concept of craving. Desiring to be filled. Wanting something I don’t have to satisfy the ache.

When we crave something, we think about it, we anticipate the taste, we long for the satisfaction that comes with consuming and we are willing to do whatever it takes to get.the.thing…I know this from my deep love and appreciation (addiction) for the OREO cookie.

It’s a total nightmare if you are trying to diet.

But spiritually, hunger is one of the best gifts God gives.

I just got home from lunch with a new church member. She’s just a few years younger and has been attending for close to a year now, but I knew little of her story. To fill the gaps in her facebook posts, I invited her to lunch and listened intently as she shared her testimony.

And what a testimony!

A life of pain and lies and grief, now turned to joy and truth and victory, in Jesus name! It was beautiful and humbling to hear. And although my grilled chicken caesar salad filled my stomach, my soul was satisfied and encouraged, too.

I’m particularly grateful for how God used her to remind me of the necessity of spiritual hunger. She passionately described a season of seeking and searching and yearning for more and more of God and His word. How she could not get enough and how His truth truly set her free! We talked about the power of desire and how incredible it is God would give us a hunger for Himself AND meet us exactly where we are.

And we talked about how hunger can fade.

Hunger is what draws people to Jesus and what sustains believers. Hunger is what drives you to your knees and into the Word of God. Hunger is what gets you out of bed on the worst days to meet with Jesus and seek Him first. Hunger creates a craving and desire for the things of God that cannot be satisfied apart from Him. A real, genuine hunger for God will take you further in life and bring more transformation and power than anything else.

Hunger is a powerful motivator.

But, are you hungry?

Is it a struggle to read or study or memorize the Bible? Is it a second or third or fourth thought to go to God with problems? Is it a burden to be around God’s people or serving in the church? Is your worship manufactured and your joy fake?

Let’s be real, friend, you may be in need of some motivation!

So, pray for hunger.

Pray that you will want to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Pray your heart will hunger and thirst after righteousness. Pray for an intense longing to seek God with all your heart because finding Him fills everything. Ask God to give you what you may be lacking — a desire for Him.

Be reminded today as I am, to stay hungry.