The Hungry Soul
“Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! For He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness.” Psalm 107:8-9
I have never experienced the sensation of starvation, but so many people do on a daily basis around the world. I have always had something to eat. This time of year, many of us in this affluent country begin to worry that we will eat too much, and have to lose it once the holidays are over. Store-rack magazines are full of helpful advice such as, “Eat carrot sticks before attending a holiday party so you won’t arrive hungry,” or, “Serve non-fattening eggnog at your family gathering.” We ignore most of this wisdom. We’d rather work at losing it later than keeping it off now.
But everyone alive experiences another hunger: hunger and thirst for the one true God. Those who find their satisfaction in Him are filled to overflowing with His goodness.
This soul hunger is a curious thing God created in us so that we would seek Him and find Him. “But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul” (Deuteronomy 4:29). Gary Thomas states in his book, Thirsting for God: “This search (for intimacy with God) is initiated by God, empowered by God, and made possible by God.”*
God arranges all circumstances and events in our lives for the express purpose of bringing us to the point of wanting Him. “And [God] has determined [man’s] preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us” (Acts 17:26b-27).
And He isn’t stingy, either. He invites us to come to Him, and when we do, He lavishly gives in abundance. “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over” (Psalm 23:5).
Hunger and thirst for God is a powerful force, driving us to Him alone. Anything less than Him will not be enough. If we already know Him, we want to know Him more intimately. If we know Him intimately, we crave a zeal and passion for Him. If we have zeal and passion for Him, we want our hearts to burn within us, as it did in the disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:32).
Allow our hunger and thirst for God to consume us. Be absorbed into His love. Let us ask Him to accomplish this in us, that we might be transformed into the image of His Son. Being transformed—now THAT is something to be thankful for!
Our Father, in wisdom You created us with a desire for You, and our hunger and thirst will not be quenched until we are satisfied by You. May Your Name be blessed forever! Amen.
It is remarkable that many of us miss that God initiates, empowers and makes it possible for us to know Him and receive His Gift of Salvation through his Son’s Sacrifice. My prayer is that more and more will come to this knowledge and accept and be thankful for this lavish gift. May God Bless You All