"Hungry, But For What?"

by WXAN & KMHM General Manager, Doug Apple

What does it feel like when you are hungry? It may be hard to describe with words, but we all know this universal feeling. 
So what do you do when hunger strikes? You can prepare your own food, or you can go to a restaurant and enjoy someone else's cuisine. 

What happens if you ignore those hunger pangs? Actually they will go away for a while, but only for a while. Eventually your body will remind you again that it is in need of fuel.

What if you only eat junk food? Do that for a while, and you may still look physically fit, but on the inside your body will be decaying.

Then there is always the possibility of food poisoning, which will make you wish you had ignored the hunger a little while longer! Did you poison yourself on purpose? No, the food looked fine on the surface, but it wasn't fine. It was poison.

Now think of someone who has lost their appetite. What does a mother say if her child has no appetite? “Oh my little dear (my wife uses that phrase all the time, even with me), you must be sick.”

“Hunger for God”

Now think about this from a spiritual perspective. Did you know that spiritual hunger is a universal feeling? It may be hard to put into words, but everyone knows what it feels like.

I asked people in two different Bible studies to describe the feeling of “hunger for God.” The answers included, “Desperation, loneliness, frustration, anxiety, emptiness” and one young man illustrated it in this creative way, “I feel like I could run and run and never get anywhere.”

I personally feel spiritual hunger much like I feel physical hunger. It is as if a switch goes off, and I sense it…time to draw near to God.

What do you do when spiritual hunger strikes? You should prepare your own spiritual food. This means getting alone with your Heavenly Father. It means prayer and worship and Bible study…simple solitude with the Lord. This is the foundation of your daily spiritual nutrition. Even Jesus “often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” (Luke 5:16)

There is more, however, because God has put us into His church with preachers and teachers and singers and writers and friends and mentors. Each of these can prepare “meals” for us that meet our various needs for spiritual nutrition.

What if you ignore spiritual hunger pangs? They will stop bothering you for a while. But eventually they will come back, stronger than ever, reminding you that your soul needs fuel.

What if you only eat spiritual junk food? That would be anything that you plug into your life to stave off the true spiritual cravings for God. It could be entertainment, it could be work, it could be shopping, it could be gardening, it could even be socializing. You can do all of this and look like a great human being on the outside, but spiritually you will be decaying.

Then there is spiritual food poisoning. People don’t poison themselves on purpose. It looks good on the outside, but you need to be careful. Good intentions don’t prevent poisoning. Only careful precaution prevents poisoning. Make sure you are feeding on God’s truth, no more and no less. Many man-made and worldly ideas and false religions sound right, but a closer look reveals the hidden poison.

Maybe you don't feel that hunger for God. Then you must be spiritually sick, and you need to seek the help of a healthy Christian. 

Closing words:  pay attention to that hungry feeling in your soul. Draw near to God. “Taste and see that the Lord is good.”