“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall see God.” Matthew 5:6
I have experienced moments in my life where I have felt hunger and thirst. Depending upon the circumstances the severity of those needs was quite different. But in each situation, my focus and desire were fully on filling that hunger and quenching that thirst.
It is the same in my spiritual life. For me it is easier to keep my focus and seek the Lord during times of want and need. When there is nothing else that I can try or do except turn to Him. I do not enjoy those times when God allows circumstances to force my focus back to Him.
I love a good meal – the anticipation of a perfectly balanced dining experience with all the smells and flavors that fulfill my expectations. Sometimes when I know a favorite dinner is coming, I do not eat leading up to that meal all day. Why? I want to leave as much room for the food I really love. A statement uttered by countless moms comes to mind, “don’t fill up on junk or you will ruin your appetite for dinner”. By filling up on snacks or junk I would not be able to fully enjoy the meal that was planned or the things that my body truly needed.
Do I do that in my own spiritual life? Is the reason I do not hunger and thirst after God is because I have ruined my appetite for Him by filling up on things of the world. I cannot develop a “taste” for the things of God when all I am seeking out are wordly things to fill that hunger and thirst that He created within me. Food and water are just as crucial to my physical health as spiritual food and water are to my spiritual health. Jesus can and will fulfill the hunger and thirst within me when I seek Him. Jesus tells us in His Word that He is the Bread of Life, (John 6:35) and the Living Water (John 7:37b).
We were made to be filled by Him. He alone should be what I seek to satisfy my deepest longings and needs. My prayer is to have the heart of King David that he described in Psalm 42:1,
“As the deer pants for the water, so my soul pants after You, oh God”.
Melodie Hosey
WHBC Secretary