Hunger

Hunger.

Desire.

Starvation.

What do we hunger for?

What do we desire?

What are we starving for?

Yesterday I fasted. From bedtime on Tuesday until breakfast today I only drank water. I will admit it was hard at times. But it also forced me to think.

I thought about food, obviously.

I thought about God, a lot.

I prayed everytime I thought about eating. So basically I prayed most of the day.

Fasting is a purifying activity. Sure, it helps you purify your body physically. But it is much more than that.

Yesterday was the first time in a while that I really thought about what it means to be hungry for God. I feel like I have been on spiritual cruise control for while. I have been snacking on a lot of other things to fill the hunger intended for God.

Last night as I reflected on my day of fasting I was convicted to change my "eating" habits. This is not a change in grocery shopping. It's a change in life choices.

I need to hunger more for the word of God.

I need to hunger more for prayer.

I need to hunger more for quiet times of meditation.

I need to hunger more for justice.

I need to hunger more for making the right choices.

As Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled."

I feel like I often hunger and thirst for other things that aren't so filling.

The food I ate this morning made me feel full, but in a few hours I will be hungry again. Aren't the things in this world the same way? They make us feel satisfied in the short-term, but in the long run they often create even more hunger.

Studies say that artificial sweeteners are worse than sugar because they make you think you are getting calories when you aren't. And a short while after you eat or drink them you are more hungry and thirsty than before you ate.

Isn't sin basically artificial God? It is a short-term solution to a life-long hunger. It often looks good and tastes good, but it leaves us hungering for more. And like some artificial sweeteners, it often leaves a horrible aftertaste.

Frankly, I am tired of the bad aftertaste, the empty feelings, and the lack of satisfaction. I am tired of the artificial God that Satan entices us to eat. I am tired of wondering why I am so hungry after I have filled myself with so much. It's time to change my diet.

I want to encourage you to change the parts of your diet that you need to as well. My son Matthew likes to look at the nutritional facts on food packaging. He will tell me about the amount of carbohydrates and fat. He looks at the percentages of vitamins.

Maybe we should take a lesson from him and more carefully examine the spiritual nutritional facts of what we consume.

How many sinful suggestions are in that music we are listening to?

How much selfishness is found in our desire for a certain look or label when it comes to clothing?

How much hurt is found in the words we use and the way we treat people?

How much attitude of Christ is found in the choices we make.

How much fruit of the Holy Spirit is found in our attitude?

I would venture to guess that many of us go through life and seldom consider these things. We just consume, consume, consume, and then wonder why we are out of shape spiritually. We enjoy the buffet of life without thinking about the impact our choices will have on our heart and mind.

I want to invite you to join me in a day of fasting and prayer on the last Wednesday of every month. If you are under 18, be sure to talk to your parents before doing this. And you should even invite them to join you. Imagine the impact of your whole family fasting together once a month.

Spend one day hungering for food and it could alter the way you think about hungering for God.

shine!
Jason