Hunger
Nehemiah 9:15 And gavest them bread from heaven for their hunger, and broughtest forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and promisedst them that they should go in to possess the land which thou hadst sworn to give them.
Matthew 5:6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
Hunger is one of the most life-saving traits God gave to us. When babies cry, it is often that hunger is their dominant symptom. Without hunger, we might not live, even from the start. When I was born, they couldn’t get me to eat for three days. Thankfully, my parents didn’t listen to the doctors who told them to give up on me.
God gives us hunger to let us know we need nutrition to stay alive. Without it, we would soon shrivel and die. Through the prophet Nehemiah, he reminded the Israelites that He had not only brought them into the Promised Land, but he had even met their needs for food and drink.
Matthew 5 (in the “Beatitudes”) says that we are blessed by having hunger and thirst for righteousness (“right living”) and that He promises to let us be filled. Jesus wanted us to know that if we search for the right way to live, God will lead us in the proper way. He desires people who are search for truth, not just wanting proof that He’s real or to see some miracle or proof of His power. (See Matthew 12:39)
Matthew 12:39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:
He wants dedicated people, who hunger after Him and His way, not just casually interested people.
Matthew 5:6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
God wants us to know that He is concerned about our spiritual hunger. The devil thinks that humans only care about physical hunger and he is often right. Jesus told him that man was designed to “eat” spiritual things – the Word of God (the “Bible,” to us). If we are “hungry” in God’s way, we are going to put His ways and His Word at the top of our list – not worried about getting our bellies full like most of the people in this world.
Whenever Bible characters tried to find God, He not only blessed them in getting answers about Him, He almost always met their physical needs, as well. In Luke 15:17, we see that the “prodigal son,” as he is known, “came to himself,” he realized that he was dying of hunger. A little later (verses 20-22) we find that his father – representing our heavenly Father – gave him more than food. He gave him far more than he had asked.
Read John 6:35.
John 6:35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
Jesus says He is the bread of life and He wants us to hunger for Him. He promises that If we will come to Him, we will neither hunger nor thirst. So, where are your major interests? Do you worry more about the food on your table or finding Him?
In closing, read Matthew 6:31-34.
Matthew 6:31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
6:32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
6:34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
He knows what we need. Let’s hunger for Him!