Today’s Scripture: Luke 6:21, NKJV- “Blessed are you who hunger now, For you shall be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, For you shall laugh.”
Are we hungry enough? In this age of abundance and immediate satisfaction, many of us have not experienced true hunger. As soon as the thought of being hungry crosses our minds we have access to many options. Jesus is instructing us to hunger for God. If we fast, we can force hunger pains that remind us to turn this hunger towards God.
As I read through Luke 6:12, NKJV where we are told “Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.” All night, Lord?
Am I hungry enough for God that I would pray all night? The next morning, according to Luke, Jesus went out and selected His twelve apostles.
Do we fast and pray with enough intensity prior to seeking God’s will in our decisions of life? I must confess that I do not. However, I can affirm and desire to have Jesus’ hunger. Recently, when reviewing Matthew’s version of Jesus’ sermon on the mount that Luke is testifying to here, Matthew 5:6, NKJV- “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.” We are promised to be filled if we hunger by Matthew and Luke.
I am pretty sure that if we prayed all night long, as Jesus did, that we would finally run out of things to say. Maybe that is the point. We must exhaust ourselves, hunger ourselves, to the point of looking only to God to fill us. God has promised to fill us and He will. We must hunger for Him more than for the snacks of life.
Satan can rob and steal our hunger with convenience and prosperity. We can be kept too busy to be busy with God’s work and call. At the end of the day, we spend most of our time ignoring the call and hunger for what is most important. We must spend time with God to recognize what is of utmost importance. I am not saying we must pray all night. It starts with one second. As we turn to God, no, hunger for God for an instant we will be filled.
As we read one verse of God’s Word, we are fed. God’s Word not only feeds us, but it builds a hunger in us the world does not understand. In Matthew 25:35, Jesus calls us to feed the hungry and give drink to the thirsty. When we are filled with God’s supply we have plenty to share with others. If we are always running on empty and exhausted, we have nothing to give.
Nehemiah 9:15 reminds us that God provided for the hunger and thirst of His people as they wandered in the wilderness. He provided bread from heaven and water from a rock. It is not so much about our efforts as it is our looking to God to be filled and following Him. Even in our disobedience God has cared for us. When we honor and do as He commands we are blessed with more than enough to feed others.
As Paul told us in Philippians 4:12, we can learn the secret to contentment. Whether hungry or full, we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. As we seek to hunger as Jesus did, we find His strength and power to complete the works we have been called to do. The LORD does not let us go hungry as promised in Proverbs 10:3.
Will you hunger for the LORD today?
Today’s Prayer: LORD, I am craving You. LORD, teach me the hunger of Jesus Christ. Thank You for Your Word that feeds us and fills us with Your calling for our lives. I am drawing near to You LORD and asking for Your food and water. Thank You LORD for providing for me today. In You I trust and pray. Amen.
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