"Hungry For God"

Hungry for God

“For he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.”

Psalm 107:9 (NLT)

Through ministry of over 35 years, over and over again I have heard people say, “I’m so hungry for God.”  Basically, they are saying, “I’m hungry; feed me.”  In one sense we should feed those who are hungry, but to spoon-feed them isn’t the answer.

I remember when I was first saved, I couldn’t get enough of the Word of God.  I read through one Bible and then started over again in another Bible.  That didn’t seem to be enough, so I bought a Parallel Bible with two versions side by side on the pages.  I devoured those Bibles and marked them up so much I could hardly read them after a while.  I still have the first one and it is held together by rubber bands.  Now I have stacks of Bibles in my home and am still being fed by them today.

The truth of it is, you are still hungry for God because, “as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby.” [I Peter 2:2]  In life a baby can only survive on milk so long and then they have to be given solid food, some versions of the Bible refer to ‘meat’ as solid food.  Solid food is essential to growth.  You may say that you hear the Word and read the Word, but that isn’t where the meat of the Word of God is. 

What do I mean?  In Malachi 3:16 it says this: “Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, And the LORD listened and heard them; So a book of remembrance was written before Him For those who fear the LORD And who meditate on His name.”  It says to meditate on God; meditate on His Word.  In other words, think about what you read and look up other places in the Bible until you get an in-depth understanding of what it really means.  The ‘meat’ of God’s Word is what fills that hungry place inside of you.

Paul the Apostle, wrote to the Jewish Christians in Hebrews 5:12 and exhorted them by saying, “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food.  No wonder we get hungry for God when we don’t pursue his word.  Don’t forget the answer is within your reach.

Let me make this clear, yes, we need to be hungry for God so we will keep on trying to become closer and closer with Him.  But, no one, other than your own self, can do this for you.  People come to church and complain they don’t get fed.  That is so laughable, because they are adults that need to be feeding on the Word of God themselves and not sitting there crying because no one is giving them a bottle.  Wah, wah, wah! (That isn’t even a word), but you get the idea.

You must understand what the Word (Bible) really means, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. [John 1:14]   Jesus is the Word! You may not have thought of it this way before, but when you are into the Word, it is Jesus, himself, who is feeding and filling you.  If you are truly hungry for God, this is where you need to go. There is no pastor, teacher or anyone else that can do this for you. We have it all wrong on why we go to church.  Church is a place of fellowship, worship, encouragement and seeing the Word of God in action.  You should already be fed before you go and then go expecting the fulfillment of God’s Word, which is the Bible.

God feeds me solid foods (for you vegetarians) every time I dig into His Word, but for me, it’s the meat of the Word that satisfies my soul.  “For He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness.” [Psalm 107:9 NKJ] 

If your hearts are prepared beforehand and you are joining in with the body of Christ, it will be everything you need.  For those who complain every week that you are not being fed; grow up!  You won’t grow up until you get off the bottle and start eating the meat.

This may seem like this message is a little hard, but I promise you it isn’t my message; it’s God’s Word.  Don’t complain to others – talk to Jesus.  He is the Word.