Old Treasures on Tuesdays đ
âBlessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.â (Matt. 5:6, ESV)
What does spiritual hunger look like to you?
Is it in that person on his knees, hands raised high in the air, head tilted back, tears streaming down his cheeks as he cries out for more of God?
Is it in the brand new Christian, full of the zeal of her first love, devouring chapter upon chapter of the Bible as she experiences each sacred book therein for the very first time?
Is it in the elderly brother who has walked with the Lord intimately for so many years that the smile in his eyes glows luminescent with the light of God?
What about the one who has served Him for quite a while, and has crashed face first into yet another agonizingly difficult trial? The one who is finding it painfully hard just to get out of bed this morning? That one whose heart is bleeding and for whom prayer is a painstaking effort? That one who feels like God is distant right now â what about her? Does she count as spiritually hungry and thirsty?
We may not always recognize spiritual appetite if we have a romanticized view of it. Yes, it might sometimes look like one of those first three descriptions. However, being hungry and thirsty for righteousness is not necessarily a pleasant, enjoyable feeling. Oftentimes, itâs quite the opposite.
I remember, growing up in church, that we would frequently sing, âAs the deer panteth for the water, so my soul longeth after TheeâŚâ A lovely song. Profound, poetic. Right out of Psalm 42. I imagine you may have sung it too? Here is the graceful Scripture is comes from: âAs the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living Godâ (Ps. 42:1-2b, NKJV). Beautiful, right? Inspiring?
However, did you ever notice the context of this deeply passionate appeal? In just the very next verse, the psalmist is expressing agony. âMy tears have been my food day and night, while they continually say to me, âWhere is your God?ââ (v. 3). This is no Holy Ghost goose bump moment. This cry for God is born out of deep anguish.
Spiritual hunger will take many different forms over the course of our lifetime. There are occasions when it may also present itself as a subtle discomfort in the soul. Maybe you feel uneasy, and youâre not sure what is âoff.â Stop. Pause. Listen with your spirit. This may be exactly akin to the hunger you experience after a nonstop day where youâve hardly had a chance to eat. Maybe that unsettled feeling is hunger!
No matter what trial or triumph is flavoring your present reality, you can train yourself to tune into the appetite of your spirit. In every season, your inner being needs God even more than you require physical food, water, or even oxygen. Learn to recognize the many distinct ways that the craving for God can manifest itself in your heart â and then run after Him with all that is within you! Your life depends on it.
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What shape is your spiritual hunger taking today?
Feeding On Jesus 
Loved this Jennifer. I have never though about the context of that verse. Have sung that song many time when I was younger.
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Yes, we sang it a whole lot at the church I grew up in too. Such a beautiful, meaningful song and Scripture! Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this đ
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Dearest Jennifer, I find myself weeping day in and out for Father to awaken the Church in the Americas. Your note of the context of a wonderful worship hymn is particularly poignant for me.
Anita and I just finished reading Jeremiah a few weeks ago. The oft quoted assurance of 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope,” MUST be understood in its context! This was the BEGINNING of 70 YEARS of captivity!
Yes, He has great plans, but will we survive as He works them out? Well, yes, for the believer, we WILL because even if we die we are the Lord’s, and will live forever with Him and our loved ones in the New Earth.
But we must prepare our hearts for what is about to come in the world.
“Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.” Revelation 2:10
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I know that your tears of intercession are unspeakably precious to our Father. C.A. The message of suffering being part of our discipleship journey here on the earth is impossible to miss for those who really spend time in the Word. I was just reading this week how Paul expressed how miserable we would be if we didnât have the hope of resurrection! It truly makes all the difference, doesnât it, as we push forward through the times we are living in?
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Yes, I remember going through a difficult time when I first grasped Paulâs words, âIf in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.â
The Lord let me wallow for some time there until the Holy Spirit opened my eyes to the next verse: âBut NOW is Christ risen from the dead!â đ
And He lives forevermore and we long for His appearing.
â¤ď¸&đ
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Amen and AMEN, hallelujah!! Maranatha!
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I seem to be full of contemplation these days.
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Sounds like a very good place to be in!
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Jennifer, thanks for contrasting the verses from Psalm 42. They demonstrate the roller coaster ride we all encounter as we live out our faith.
My own spiritual hunger is filled by some marvelous teachers (Oswald Chambers, Charles Stanley, Charles Spurgeon, and many others) who direct me to verse after verse of God’s Word.
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Iâm with you, Richard, just so grateful for these amazing men and women of. God who have been used by Him to bring us such rich materials to learn from. It really feels to me like Iâm being mentored by some of them without even meeting them!
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This is profound and an awakening
. I agree that there are times I am spiritually hungry for God in my darkest hours and I love Psalms David. It shows that you can seek God in whatever state. In your good times and your darkest times when nothing makes sense .
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That is so beautifully true, my dear sis. I am grateful beyond words that we can run to Him when it feels like everything is falling apart!
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