What do you do with your hunger?
A few weeks back, I was in my prayer garden, talking with God, communing. What drew me out there? Hunger. I could pray and discuss life with God without interruption. What a gift. And I know God was pouring out His grace because I followed through and met with Him.
While I sat there, rather still except for my busy pen scrawling on my journal page, several small songbirds dropped to the ground below the birdfeeder. Oftentimes birds sit on the birdfeeder and toss seeds as they choose which ones to eat (at least that’s what it looks like to me). So, there’s a nice patch beneath the feeder of a multitude of seeds. This patch is where the little creatures gather. And did it matter that I was less than ten feet away, a human, a threat? Nope. We co-existed in the garden together, all drawn there by hunger and desperate enough to get what we needed no matter what.
Everyone gets hungry. Our appetites keep us alive because they motivate us. Thirsty? Get some water. Hungry? Eat some food. Right? But sometimes we get confused. We think a soul-level hunger can be satisfied with a soulish act—like overindulging in food, entertainment, drugs. And those things may satiate our flesh for a bit, but they can’t satisfy our soul.
We were made to be filled with God’s Spirit.
And do not be drunk with wine, in which is excess;
but be filled with the Spirit
Eph. 5:18 MKJV)
So, how do we get filled with the Holy Spirit?
Posture yourself: Pray. Get alone with God. If prayer is hard (i.e. you have difficulty concentrating or connecting with God in a genuine way), play a worship CD.
Read: Be a student of the Word of God and let it change you. Read a chapter or more a day. Set goals. Commit to reading the Bible every day.
Worship: A worshipful atmosphere lends itself to being filled with the Holy Spirit because God dwells in the praises of His people. He is near when we worship Him, and what’s more the enemy of your soul is far away then because he hates the presence of God.
The overall key is to pursue God and let God fill you up when you’re hungry. You can tell the difference. You know when you just need a snack, or when you need the Lord. I’ll give you a hint, if you’re heartsick, you need the Lord.
And the best part? He put that hunger there so you’d come to Him so He could fill you up.
Keep coming. Keep posturing yourself in humility, worship, prayer, and the Word.
He will satisfy you.
