Spiritual Hunger
I don’t know if anything is more spiritually hazardous than satisfaction. The unhealthiest relationship with God is the one that is “good enough.” If there is no craving for closeness, no hunger for more, no desire for a deeper connection with God, danger is near at hand.
Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness” (Matthew 5:6). The parched spirit, the ache of inward emptiness, is the prerequisite of a fulfilling relationship with God. Apart from this prerequisite, complacency sets in and inattention to spiritual life is the result.
There are nutritionless substitutes for a vital relationship with God. Kinds of spiritual junk food. They tend to suppress our hunger and thirst for the Divine. These substitutes allow us to be involved in activities that may vaguely pertain to the religious without having a life-altering encounter with God.
What are these substitutes? Tinkering with machinery of church organization. Religious discussions that pass information but don’t seek the will of God. Fellowship that fosters human comradery without really encouraging others in closeness with God. These are not bad activities. They are even useful. But they are secondary at best. More crucial is prayer, worship, pondering scripture together and service for those in need.
Someone once said, “A little religion can be dangerous. It can immunize a person against catching the real thing.” Spiritual health begins with an awareness of need. No one is more needy than the one who does not feel the need. A church that is not driven by the need for closeness with God is going in the wrong direction. Pray that all of us become more hungry and thirsty for God and more intent upon feeding one another’s faith.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Craig