27 January 2023 - Develop a hunger and thirst for God

Matthew 5:6 (MSG) You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat.

To hunger and thirst for God is at the very root of our being. It’s the way God made us. When there is no hunger for the presence of God, it is an indicator that something is wrong, spiritually. Because that specific hunger is so basic to human nature, it often finds fulfilment in other areas rather than in seeking God.

In Song of Songs, the Beloved is knocking on the chamber door.

Song of Songs 5:3 (NLT) But I responded, “I have taken off my robe. Should I get dressed again? I have washed my feet. Should I get them soiled?” She rises to open the door to her Beloved, but he has already left. Her covert has cost her his presence. Now, her heart is stirred. Comfort is no longer an issue as she loses sleep and risks her safety to search for the One she loves.

Revelation 3:20 (NLT) “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.”

Jesus’ call for intimacy challenges our comfort. To answer His knock, we must stir up ourselves from our place of spiritual repose.

Let’s look at the Scriptures which speak of developing this hunger and thirst for God:

John 4:14 (NLT) “But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”

John 6:35 (NLT) Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

Psalm 63:1 (NLT) O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water.

The hunger for God is one of the most important keys to the blessing and presence of God. It also brings great delight to the heart of God and is the most important quality that God looks for in our lives.

She is in a state of repose, and for that moment, her comfort is more important than her relationship. Song of Songs 5:5-6 (NLT) I jumped up to open the door for my love, and my hands dripped with perfume. My fingers dripped with lovely myrrh as I pulled back the bolt. I opened to my lover, but he was gone! My heart sank. I searched for him but could not find him anywhere. I called to him, but there was no reply.