Have you ever been hungry? Not just, "Yeah, I could eat..." but REALLY hungry? like your stomach hurt and the only thing you could think of was food?
I have. It hasn't been often - but it's happened. Being hungry weakens you, lowers your concentration, can even make you shaky or nauseous.
And one thought is uppermost. "Eat."
I wonder what would happen if I hungered for God like that.
There is a sense in which relationship with God is very satisfying, fulfilling. There is peace where there once was torment, hope where once was despair. There is purpose instead of pointlessness. But there is another sense in which extreme hunger for Him, for His presence, for even more closeness with Him is a crucial element of spiritual growth. Without Him, we shrivel up inside. Life doesn't make sense. And there is an awful emptiness that is all-pervasive.
The danger with not eating when hungry is that after the initial stages I have described above ... the hunger subsides. The body still wants food, but the desire goes away. This is extremely dangerous; if repeated over and over it leads to malnutrition ... and you starve, not ever knowing how hungry you are. (Insert your own spiritual application here).
And what is more satisfying than your favorite meal when you are hungry!
Yet after you eat ... guess what. The body needs food again - and so does the spirit.
God says in the Psalms, "Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it." Need I say more.
I have. It hasn't been often - but it's happened. Being hungry weakens you, lowers your concentration, can even make you shaky or nauseous.
And one thought is uppermost. "Eat."
I wonder what would happen if I hungered for God like that.
There is a sense in which relationship with God is very satisfying, fulfilling. There is peace where there once was torment, hope where once was despair. There is purpose instead of pointlessness. But there is another sense in which extreme hunger for Him, for His presence, for even more closeness with Him is a crucial element of spiritual growth. Without Him, we shrivel up inside. Life doesn't make sense. And there is an awful emptiness that is all-pervasive.
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And what is more satisfying than your favorite meal when you are hungry!
Yet after you eat ... guess what. The body needs food again - and so does the spirit.
God says in the Psalms, "Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it." Need I say more.
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