Spiritual Hunger

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled (Matthew 5:6).

Smith Wigglesworth, an English Evangelist, said that he would rather have a man on the platform preaching with him who is not Spirit-baptized but is hungry for God, than to have a man who is Spirit- baptized and is satisfied.

Our hunger defines us spiritually. Hunger in the human body is one of the signs of normal health. When hunger is stymied, it can be one of the indicators of a physical problem. Likewise, spiritual hunger denotes spiritual health. A lack of hunger for God indicates problems have arisen spiritually.

When my children were young, they would sometimes come to the dinner table with no appetite. I would investigate their room and find candy wrappers on the floor or in the trash can. The candy sated their hunger. A believer can find himself void of spiritual hunger if he fills up on the things of the world; magazines, movies, video games, T.V. shows, excessive time with favorite hobbies, etc, and doesn’t spend time with the Lord in the word and in prayer.

Peter told believers to desire the word the way a baby desires milk. In doing so, spiritual growth would occur. God meets us on the level of our hunger.

Lack of spiritual hunger is a sign of problems such as lukewarmness, compromise with the flesh or the world, or of a believer leaving his first love.

Notice Psalm 107:9, For He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness. The Father meets us on the level of our hunger.

David developed a ravenous hunger for God in his life. Notice Psalm 63:1, O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water.

Moses had been with God for forty days on top of Mount Sinai, and still wanted more of God’s presence. He developed a great hunger for God, and God met him in a powerful way. (See Exodus 33: 18-23).

We can develop a hunger for God by spending time with Him daily in His word and in prayer. We create desires for whatever we focus our attention on.

If you find yourself spiritually dry, I encourage you to go to the Father and ask him to show you if you’ve allowed anything to keep you from spending time with Him. If you have, ask Him to forgive you, and to create in you a hunger for His presence and His Word. Then force yourself to feed on the Word and to spend time in prayer. After a period of time, you’ll find a stirring inside for more of God and less of the flesh and the world. He is ready to meet you today. Pray to get hungry!