Hunger
Physical hunger can be a powerful metaphor for our spiritual hunger for something that will satisfy. Let’s examine hunger in two parts and determine the state of our own hunger.
Are you hungry? What are you hungry for?
First we should know what hunger means, as defined by Merriam Webster, 1828:
Hunger, n. “An uneasy sensation occasioned by the want of food; a craving of food by the stomach; craving appetite. Hunger is not merely want of food. Hunger is the pain or uneasiness of the stomach of a healthy person, when too long destitute of food.”
What I see in Webster’s definition is that something within is not satisfied nor truly pleased. There is a pain, a vacuum, a desire that must be quenched before one can experience some level of pleasure. As the definition states, there is an uneasiness with the situation. Something must be corrected.
I’m sure you’re familiar with the phrase “Hit the spot.” In other words: “That plate of chicken and potatoes really ‘hit the spot,’ I don’t need to have anything else to eat!” When one hits ‘the spot,’ they have satisfied their hunger for a meal to the point that they don’t need to eat a single thing more – they are satisfied and not over-stuffed. Everything is cohesive! “It’s all good!”
Let’s take the “hit the spot” saying and apply it to our spiritual life. Do you have a hunger within for something satisfying, something that will please you, perhaps something that makes you feel alive, valuable, worthwhile, and purposeful? I trust that you do, as I know from personal experience that I feel this same yearning for something worthwhile to satiate my desires.
Many of us are “hitting the spot” of our spiritual hunger with a plethora of things, and not all are necessarily wrong or of sin. Still some may constitute sin. For instance, some will satisfy their hunger with sports (both playing and watching), television or cars, women or men, drugs or alcohol, partying or pornography, and a myriad of other things. No matter what the device is, it can surely remove us from God if left to do so. How, you may ask?
See, some of these things can be good hobbies or passions that are in and of themselves not evil, yet when we fill ourselves up with the satisfaction of these passions we will consequently have no hunger left to pursue the Lord God. In other words, if I spend a considerable amount of time working at something that gives me pleasure and I work at it until I feel good or accomplished, I will therefore reach a point where my internal hunger is not satisfied and I think that I need nothing further to be pleased with myself. This is why some people can practice a musical instrument for a whole day, while others would be happy to play basketball from morning to night, while still others would not have any complaints with playing videogames until they are too tired to think. There is a hunger within each one of us to be pleased and satisfied, and these other things can offer a temporary pleasure that may serve to distract us from Jesus.
Let me remind you that only Jesus and His Holy Spirit will truly satisfy your inner hunger! Nothing will match up to the pleasure of the Lord! I can compare my experiences in the pleasures of the world and its debauchery with the feeling of the Holy Spirit and the joy of knowing God and being known by Him. There is really no comparison! What I thought was fun, pleasurable, enjoyable, and what I wanted has been found to be counterfeit, fake, a rip-off, and seriously paling in comparison. The satisfaction of the Lord is unmatched by any pleasure of the world, take it from my experience with both!
So, why do am I talking so much about pleasure and what satisfies you? Because you need to consider what brings you joy and what satisfies your desires. What are you hungry for? Is it Jesus?
How hungry are you?
The New Testament word from the Greek that is used for hunger is “peinao,” which means: “To pine; to famish; to crave (ardently).” And “ardently” means “with eager desire.” So one who is hungry is craving something with an eager and urgent desire that must be dealt with quickly!
Here’s a story about hunger:
Let’s say you haven’t eaten for five days. Your time without food is not by choice either, as there has been no food anywhere since your last meal days ago. Let’s say that someone tells you that there is a buffet of food waiting for you in a building on Mt. Washington in the city of Pittsburgh that is free and waiting for you, if you can just find a way to get there and retrieve the amalgamation of wonderful eats. What if you were on the North Side? (For those unfamiliar with Pittsburgh, being on the North Side would mean that, depending upon where you are, two rivers may separate you from Mt. Washington, with a serious uphill climb awaiting you to even get close to locating your reward.)
How far would you go to eat? How much would you work through each pain and obstacle to obtain the food that you so badly crave?
You would not stop for anything! You would be tremendously driven to reach the goal of finding the building containing the plethora of amazing food. And imagine how wonderful it would be to find that spot and partake in an amazing meal that you had so longed-for? I’m sure that absolute joy and pleasure would surely arise from your experience.
Here’s my question to you:
How long has it been since you’ve experienced that level of hunger for God?
Have you ever experienced that amount of desire for the presence of the Holy Ghost? Have you so sought God that you felt that you would not survive unless He came near to you and you felt the touch of His hand and His love expressed to you?
Now is a time for re-examination.
If you have realized that your hunger for the Lord has never reached the point of absolute need and yearning that is like the story you just read, now is the time to obtain that hunger. Perhaps you have had that hunger for Jesus in the past, yet you’ve let the passions of the world satisfy your desires for so long that you forgot what really fills you up in a truly wonderful way. If either of those experiences is familiar to you presently, now is the time for repentance and change. Get your hunger back, and ask that the Lord give you the first drop of thirst and desire for Him and then go after God with all that you have, seeking to be satisfied only in Jesus Christ!
Additional tips
By the way, some tips for how to grow your hunger and/or have your hunger filled would be fittingly shared at this point.
Matthew 4:2 KJV
Man cannot live on bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God.
So, live on His Word! How?
- Read the Bible. If you’ve been a Christian for at least one year, you should have read the Bible at least once by now. It’s true! It will change your life!
- Pray Daily. Your prayer-time could be the most valuable time of your day. This is the time of reconnection with the Lord when you will have your hunger truly satisfied by Jesus Christ alone!
- Other. Church, Bible study, prayer group, fellowship, etc.
Finally, a verse to leave you with:
Proverbs 16:26
A worker’s appetite works for him; his mouth urges him on.
Let your hunger be your drive and don’t be satisfied until you find true pleasure in Jesus!
This article is taken from the message of the same title delivered at the House of Prayer for All, October 15th, 2008.
