One Rainy Morning
Hunger…thirst…what do they mean? What does it mean to hunger and thirst for the Lord…to hunger after righteousness? These were thoughts, questions floating through my conscious mind this morning amid the warm bubbles and steamy air of my hot tub. Heavy dew like moisture permeated everything while sips of cream colored liquid warmed my throat, satisfying my need to evict the cobwebs left behind by a night of dreams. Ah yes…dreams I wish I could remember. Maybe they were dreams of rain…sweet heavenly rain.
The relevance of hunger, thirst and satisfaction surrounded me as tiny droplets of rain were cascading off the eves of my house and dripping from every leaf…all the while collecting in puddles to the delight of my many feathered friends. The ground around me, having been deprived of much needed moisture, seemed as if it lifted up its hands to receive as trees stretched toward the sky in response to hunger and thirst being satisfied.
I asked myself in a soft breath, almost inaudible to the human ear…afraid if I spoke to loud a desert might appear,” What does it mean to hunger and thirst after righteousness, to hunger and thirst after anything…to hunger and thirst period? Is there another way to look at hunger and thirst besides the traditional dictionary meaning?
I could hear the rain whispering with each gentle splash…with each upward rising of steam? It whispered and wonderment laced with contemplation filled my thoughts…and the rain said…?
For Me Hunger And Thirst Are A Choice
As I pondered the thoughts the rain seemed to convey as the ground received its offering, I can’t say that I have ever truly known hunger or thirst in a way many have. There has always been provision for me. There has always been choice.
I choose to eat or not to eat. I choose to drink or not to drink. The only hunger I have ever really known came through a decision to fast. Even then provision arrayed itself in enticing abundance, assaulting my senses at every opportunity. Still, for me, hunger was and is a choice I make and is not a fact of everyday life. Yet, Jesus says if we drink the water He gives our thirst will be quenched by virtue of being in Him and we will be satisfied. At the same time, He tells us to hunger and thirst after righteousness. A thirst satisfied and a command to hunger and thirst. Interesting concept, don you think?
Still the question begs to be ask, “How can I truly know hunger…thirst? How can I truly be satisfied?” One thought comes to mind; we must consistently remain in His presence through the Word, soaking, devotion and worship. We must – abide – in intimacy.
I have worked outside in the midst of all the sweltering heat a Texas sun can offer and still I can’t say I truly know what it means to thirst. The water jar, glimmering in the sun, was always within reach. Still there was a choice. My body created a hunger…a need for water and said, “You are thirsty. Drink!”
It was and is up to me what I do in response to natural needs and spiritual needs. We get to choose whether we drink or not. What are you choosing?
Distractions And Such
Distracted by dedication to the task at hand or worse still, by purposeful neglect; we often disregard our need for hydration. Unwillingness to walk any distance to the water jar can be only reason for lack, a lack of neglected long enough always spells imminent danger. Often unwillingness to take time or prioritize the time we have (in order to be with Him) puts us in spiritual danger. Just like the natural suffers without much needed rain so do we when we do not avail ourselves of the rain of His presence.
In my case, the sad thing is, once I gave in, one glass of water did not satisfy. It only left me feeling like I was auditioning for Survivor. Already depleted, it took more than I could physically drink, without being sick, to meet my need. Again, as with hunger, my predicament left me in makeup mode. Have you ever been there in the natural or the spiritual?
Hunger & Thirst + Seeking & Soaking = Satisfaction
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” (Matthew 5:6 NASB)
Those who hunger and thirst are blessed because they are “sensitive to” and “prompted by” the Spirit to seek the Bread and the Water – the only things that truly satisfy.
When you fast for any extended period of time your mind often concocts delightful recipes, compelling you to mark your calendar with an anticipated promise of satisfaction. Like gold at the end of a rainbow, we often plan our “end of fast” meal. Anyone who has fasted knows this is not wise. It is not wise to go without solid food only to eat the proverbial steak when the bell rings. I could expound on the results, however, I will let you conjure up the consequences in your own mind.
Sometimes in the sweltering heat of fiery circumstances, or just because of plain old disregard or busyness, we fast from the Word of God…we fast from His Presence…from abiding in intimacy. And like the earth beneath us we become hard and cracked to the point water runs off instead of seeping in. Soaking in His presence on a continual basis keeps the soil of our heart and life soft and supple…soaking in His presence keeps us hungry…keeps us thirsty, yet at the same time, satisfies.
However, if we only respond once we have become aware of those hunger pangs among the abundance offered us from so many other avenues and simply try and make up for lost time…like a steak meal at the end of a fast, it can go down hard.
Hard in the fact that many times we may experience guilt at our own inability to digest in one meal what we should have been digesting day by day…spiritually speaking. Sometimes this inability to digest pushes one farther away creating a dry cracked land…creating an arid and fractured heart brought on by guilt or shame. All of our often self-induced sufferings could be avoided and will continue to be if we choose to practice consistency as a key to satisfaction in Him…if we develop intimacy through the practice of soaking in His presence.
In The Heat Of The Day
I have worked outside in the midst of all the sweltering heat a Texas sun can offer and still I can’t say I truly know what it means to thirst. The water jar, glimmering in the sun, was always within reach. Still there was a choice. My body created a hunger…a need for water and said, “You are thirsty. Drink!” It was and is up to me what I do in response to natural needs and spiritual needs. We get to choose whether we drink or not. What are you choosing?
Distracted by dedication to the task at hand or worse still, by purposeful neglect; we often disregard our need for hydration. Unwillingness to walk any distance to the water jar can be only reason for lack, a lack neglected long enough always spells imminent danger. Often unwillingness to take time or prioritize the time we have in order to be with Him puts us in spiritual danger. Just like the natural suffers without much needed rain so do we when we do not avail ourselves of the rain of His presence.
In my case, the sad thing is, once I gave in, one glass of water did not satisfy. It only left me feeling like I was auditioning for Survivor. Already depleted, it took more than I could physically drink, without being sick, to meet my need. Again, as with hunger, my predicament left me in makeup mode. Have you ever been there in the natural or the spiritual?
Ah…But He Is Faithful…This We Must Always Remember
Although there is no excuse for neglecting our times of intimacy with Him, we needn’t fear; for the LORD in His infinite mercy will always meet us where we are. The only thing to do in situations like these is to once again slowly start consuming much needed liquid or food until all systems function properly. You cannot make up. You can only fill up. Once in proper alignment your body…your heart will speak to you telling you what it needs and when it needs it.
The Word inside of you will do the same if you are listening. The mercies of the Lord are new every morning or as I like to say, every moment. There is no better time than the present…than the moment you are in to step into the presence of the Lord and soak up His amazing love and grace. And when you do, all will begin to function properly.
Raindrop Lessons
The lessons my rain drops shed over me in showers of simple grace is this: When land is left too long hungering for nourishment it tends to reject or is unable to receive such abundance. Becoming dry and cracked after waiting too long for moisture it can receive only enough to fill the cracks while the rest is simply washed across the surface without saturating the ground. It has become almost too hard to absorb the very thing it cries out for. Yet, the mercy and grace of the Lord is always available and His love endures forever…even when we tend to disengage from being intimate with Him He comes and ploughs up our fallow ground.
Time has passed and as I stand looking out my window framed back yard; rain is still falling, just as it has been for the last few days…falling slowly…falling gently…saturating every dry place. Its nourishment is birthing many verdant shades and creating canopies to cover my heat sensitive plants in preparation for blistering days to come.
When rain is slow and gentle over a period of time every drop is absorbed by the needy earth or collected in puddles for many thirsty feathered friends. First the earth is saturated and then the excess flows into rivers, underground aquifers and into streams making provision for another day while providing for the inhabitants of the land. It is the same with us; first the vertical then horizontal.
What Kind Of Storehouse Are You Building
We too can build storehouses of provision for the days to come but we must always remember, these store houses we create are reservoirs of provision to draw from in times of drought or to give away. They are no excuse to fast His presence—His Word—for both are an indispensable source of living water. Intimacy with the Lord prepares us for the unseen days ahead causing us to be like the wise virgins who kept their lamps full of oil. So it is with our hearts for they are to be reservoirs filled with an unending supply of His presence.
Fasting things of this world is good and necessary in every respect. Fasting from Him, from time with Him is never good and does not create consistent hunger and thirst. Being with Him creates appetite…an appetite which is constant and beneficial to one’s own growth and survival…beneficial to those on the horizontal plane fortunate enough to find you and I in their times of need. The world needs intimate believers with full reservoirs and compassionate hearts who out of overflow and abundance minister to those who walk in lack.
The Truth Of The Matter
Is hunger and thirst what we really think it is, momentary pangs requiring immediate attention, or is it a continual state of being—a continual state of need, necessary to bring balance and life to the whole man. To hunger and thirst is to live and move and have our being in Him.
Abiding in a continual state of being in His presence, you create an ever-flowing fountain from within. His presence diminishes hunger and thirst for things outside Him and His Kingdom and creates hunger and thirst for Him. For those who truly know Him…for them who drink from His presence will never huger and thirst in the way the world does because they are always in Him.
May we always hunger and thirst after righteousness…hunger and thirst after Him, and at the same time, thirst no more. Only in God is this possible. I call it contentment in its purest form. Let it rain.
What do you think? Are you hungry? Are you thirsty? If so, draw nigh unto Him for He is already near and let His rain and His reign saturate your heart and life.
Blessings in Christ
But whoever takes a drink of the water that I will give him shall never, no never, be thirsty any more. But the water that I will give him shall become a spring of water welling up (flowing, bubbling) [continually] within him unto (into, for) eternal life. The woman said to Him, Sir, give me this water, so that I may never get thirsty nor have to come [continually all the way] here to draw” (John 4:14-15 Amplified)
Brenda Craig