Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled (Matt 5:6). In the natural world, people eat even when they aren’t hungry. Many of us can prove that by turning sideways and looking at ourselves in the mirror. But in the spiritual realm, only those who are hungry can be filled. It is those who thirst after God who will be satisfied. It is those who yearn for His presence who will see His glory. One of the worst things that can happen to us is spiritual complacency. Being hungry for the things of God is one of the best things that can happen to us, but most people don’t feel that way. They would rather have the feeling of being full. Jesus promised us that fullness would follow hunger. No hunger, no fullness. Therefore, we need to hunger for more and more of God. Longing for more of God is a healthy sign. Any time we notice we have lost our desire for the presence of God, it is a sign of danger. When we lose our appetite for God’s Word, we must know that trouble is at hand. No one hungers for God by his own power. That is not the nature of man. No man yearns for God unless the Spirit of God draws him. Longing for God doesn’t cause God to move in our lives, but it is a sign that God is already at work in us.
We should praise God for spiritual hunger and be encouraged. He doesn’t make us hungry and then let us starve, but He does so to fill us with His blessings and love. We need a hunger that will never be satisfied until the marriage supper of the Lamb.
