One of the most challenging things about the Christian life is to be both full and hungry at the same time. Hunger is a sign of natural and spiritual health. A child that’s not hungry is not healthy. A Christian who’s not hungry is also not healthy.
In our natural physical life, we eat and get full and we are no longer hungry. But in the spiritual life, God wants us to be full, but still hungry. The Lord spoke to Moses,
“So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.” (Deut. 8:3, NKJV).
Manna means, in the Hebrew, “what is it?” He’s saying, “I fed you on ‘what is it?’ and you didn’t know what it was.” Funny verse. But here’s what I think He’s saying: I’m making you hungry by not telling you everything you want to know so that you will stay hungry and seek Me. In other words, you will learn to depend on me by realizing that you shall not live on bread alone; but by every word that comes from God. You will not always have an explanation for what you’re asking for, but you will have all the answers you need.
Hunger is evidence of humility and God exalts the humble. To grow into a wholehearted disciple, you must stay hungry for God. It’s a gift you must ask for. Ask God for hunger.
Hunger just might be the most important trait of the wholehearted disciple. Hungry disciples seek; hungry disciples pray; hungry disciples want miracles; hungry disciples change the world. Ask God for the gift of hunger.
Crying out for the gift of hunger,
Steve
Steve Holt D.D. MA
www.steveholtonline.org
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