In Rev 3:20, Jesus declares, “'Behold , I stand at the door and [knock]; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and he with Me’." What a great invitation. When our hearts are truly hungry, we desire God’s presence and His mind (Proverbs 2:1-6). We want his wisdom.
God encourages us some 700 years before Christ, "Ho! Ever one who thirsts, come to the waters; And you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk Without money and without cost. "Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And delight yourself in abundance” (Isa 55:1-11).
We are actually blessed when we faint with hunger for God, his righteousness, and his kingdom: Matthew 5:6 and Luke 6:21 proclaim, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. In truth, “The young lions do lack and suffer hunger; But they who seek the LORD shall not be in want of any good thing. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil” (Psalm 34:10).
Psa 22:26 gives us great hope because in our great pain, we will experience release, “The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; Those who seek Him will praise the LORD. Let your heart live forever!”
When we try to fill ourselves with things, people, and ourselves, we feel even more empty.
God my make a decision to humble “ you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD. (Deut.8:3).
In fact, Y’Shua removes our hunger alone for His is "For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world." Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me shall not hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst” (John 6:33-35).
Does that describe us? Can we not wait to enter His presence?
Hope to see you at the party,
M.J.
Does it describe us?
ReplyDeleteI think so. There is always this inner knowledge that there is more, and this hunger to see it and and know it. This hunger is good and right when we recognize that it is a hunger for God. When I hunger for more of God, for more righteousness, it is a healthy hunger. C.S. Lewis once wrote : "The fact that our heart yearns for something that the Earth can't supply is proof that Heaven must be our home." Being with God for eternity is the ultimate prize that we hunger after. And is natural that we should always pursue more of Him in our natural lives as we come closer to the time where we will finally become complete. This hunger will only be fully satisfied when we meet our Maker face to face.
However I do believe that an intimate relationship with God through Jesus brings peace to a hunger that we do not comprehend without Him. Been born into a broken world means that we are born already hungry for what should have been without the fall. Without that relationship, without Holy Spirit in us, we loose ourselves in the hunger. The hunger for God, for love, becomes confused. We seek satisfaction in many other things, that may dull the hunger for a short while, but it will always come back. You must ask if you are to receive. God can prompt you and reveal himself to you, but unless you decide for yourself, you will remain hungry for the rest of eternity. Not just an irritating grumble in your stomach when you need a snack, or the painful hunger after not eating for a few days. But a deep soul wrenching hunger for your Maker.
Only in God will we cease to hunger. I can only imagine the feeling of eternity without hunger.
Esme