How Hungry Are You for Righteousness?  

On our Caribbean cruise I mentioned previously, our sixteen-year-old grandson took full advantage of the opportunity to feed his hunger. Not only did he make good use of the buffets and the ice cream machine, but when we gathered in the dining room for the evening meals, he often ordered two or three of the main entrees. That was in addition to an appetizer and a dessert, all of which he thoroughly devoured. His hunger seemed never to be satisfied as he fed it the whole time we were on the ship.

Let’s pray that we would possess that kind of constant and fierce hunger for the Lord and for the work He wants to do in our lives. Jesus said in one of those well-known beatitudes He voiced during His Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6).  He was referring to a spiritual hunger – including the deep desire for more holiness and Christlikeness to be present in our lives. Are we hungering and thirsting for righteousness today?

 Maybe you heard about recent events at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky. A chapel service there continued for several weeks in the form of a continuous time of worship, prayer, and testimony. I won’t try to put a label on what happened, but it appears that God used it to change some hearts and lives. It seemed to stir up a hunger in people’s hearts for drawing closer to God, evidenced by many people flocking to that location to participate in this experience. While I appreciate those who made that journey, the good news is that we don’t have to go searching for God in one particular location. If we will hunger and thirst for Him, He can meet us right where we are. He can move mightily in your life and in your church. There can be a revival and outpouring of God’s Spirit right in our midst. However, I believe one of the keys is that we truly need to be hungering for it. We need to want it more than we want anything else. How thirsty are you for a closer relationship with the Lord?

This beatitude comes with a couple of promises. First of all, Jesus says that we will be blessed if we will hunger and thirst after righteousness. I encourage you to put it to the test and see for yourself. Make it a greater priority to let God work in you to make you a more holy person. Ask Him to pour out His Spirit on you in a fresh and powerful way. Seek to become more like Jesus. Pray, fast, and ask the Lord to revive you. I believe God will bless you for it.

The other promise given is that we will be filled. God doesn’t hold righteousness out in front of us like a carrot on a stick, constantly moving it and keeping it out of our reach. If we truly seek it, God promises that we will be filled. He may not do it immediately or exactly as we imagine. Nevertheless, in some manner and at some time He will fill that hunger in our hearts.

The problem more often than not is that we are not hungering for such righteousness to the extent we should be. Many of us would probably say we would like to see revival, to draw closer to God, to be more holy, but are we so hungry and thirsty for it that we are earnestly seeking and praying for it?

Let’s pray that the Lord will instill more of a hunger in our souls for Him and for righteousness.