A Hunger for God

A Hunger for God

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled". — Matthew 5:6

In our daily lives, hunger is a natural and necessary feeling. It signals our body's need for sustenance, driving us to seek nourishment. Imagine the gnawing emptiness in your stomach when you’ve missed a meal or two. This physical hunger compels us to find food, knowing that without it, our strength wanes and our bodies weaken. Just as our physical bodies require food, our spirits demand spiritual nourishment to thrive. This is the essence of what Jesus speaks about in Matthew 5:6.

The Nature of Spiritual Hunger

Spiritual hunger is a deep yearning for a relationship with God and a desire to live according to His will. It’s an acknowledgment of our insufficiency without Him, we recognize that, just as our bodies cannot survive without food, our souls cannot flourish without His presence.

David exemplifies this spiritual hunger in Psalm 42:1-2: "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?" This picture of a deer panting for water clearly portrays an intense longing and need that only God can satisfy.

Spiritual Food for the Hungry Soul

Jesus, in John 6:35, declares, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” Here, Jesus presents Himself as the ultimate sustenance for our spiritual hunger. Just as bread sustains physical life, Jesus sustains our spiritual lives.

Engaging with Scripture, prayer, worship, and fellowship with other believers are all ways to feed our spiritual hunger. These will draw us closer to God, filling the emptiness within and giving us the strength to live righteous lives. In Jeremiah 15:16, the prophet says, "When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, LORD God Almighty." The Word of God is depicted as food that brings joy and delight, satisfying the deepest longings of the heart.

The Promise of Being Filled

What does it mean to be “filled” as Jesus promises in Matthew 5:6? The Greek word for "filled" used in this passage is "chortazo," which means to be completely satisfied, to be abundantly supplied. This filling is not a temporary or partial satisfaction but a complete and enduring one.

The filling Jesus speaks of is multifaceted. It involves receiving God’s righteousness — living in a way that aligns with His character and commands. It means experiencing the fullness of His presence and the joy of His salvation, as described in Psalm 16:11: “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

Additionally, this promise of being filled is an ongoing process. Just as we continually need physical food to maintain our health, we continually need spiritual nourishment to maintain and grow in our relationship with God. Ephesians 5:18 encourages us to “be filled with the Spirit,” indicating a continuous action — a daily reliance on and seeking of the Holy Spirit’s presence and power in our lives.

To hunger for God is to recognize our need for Him above all else. It is a deep, driving force that leads us to seek His righteousness and his presence in our lives. And the promise that accompanies this hunger is deep: we shall be filled. This filling is not just a momentary quenching of our spiritual thirst but a continual, abundant supply of God’s grace, love, and righteousness.

As we ponder on Matthew 5:6, let us cultivate a hunger for the things of God, knowing that in Him, we find true satisfaction. Let us feast on His Word, commune with Him in prayer, and seek His presence daily. In doing so, we will experience the blessedness of those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for we shall indeed be filled.