The 2008 publication of the novel, The Hunger Games, sparked further books, movies, and a cult following. Apparently (I have no desire to read or watch), the driving force behind the awful and evil behaviour of the characters is that of literal hunger. Poverty can be a powerful motivation. And long before author Suzanne Collins penned this unsavoury stuff, King Solomon observed the power of hunger and wrote, “A worker’s appetite works for him; his mouth urges him on” (Proverbs 16:26).
Appetite actualises behaviour. Generally speaking, an empty stomach motivates active hands. Hunger moves us to assuage it. An empty mouth urges us on to fill it with food. Though I have never lived in abject poverty, I have faced times when I was willing to be employed in unpleasant work to pay the bills, including the grocery bill. My appetite for debt-free living worked in my favour, motivating me to work. Though less drastically, when I was a teenager, my appetite for the latest running shoes, or a bicycle, or my “hunger” for a trip with friends, urged me to regularly cut the lawns of several of my neighbours and, when I was a bit older, to paint their houses. When I was in my last year of university, my hunger for marriage to Jill worked wonders to urge me to sweep floors, wipe ashtrays, and clean toilets late at night at the Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce. Looking forward to my wedding day on 9 June 1984 was a powerful emotion that kept me going, working two jobs while taking a full term of classes. All this to say that hunger, of all sorts, is a powerful motivation. Including—especially!—hunger for God.
As we learned last year, Jesus promised that those who hunger and thirst after righteousness will be satisfied (filled) (Matthew 5:6). Of course, being “fed to the full” with communion with the triune God is the not the result of passive desire or lethargic sentiment. No. If we will truly hunger for God, such an urge will lead to work. An appetite for God is revealed in our works. What kind of works? I am glad you asked!
Consider the hard work of Bible study and meditation. To know God truly requires exposure to his character as revealed in his word, the Bible. And meaningful engagement with Scripture will often require work. It will require discipline of time and of focus. An appetite for the awe-inspiring God will urge us on when the flesh wants rather to hit the snooze button.
Another necessary work required to satisfy our hunger for God is prayer. When our hunger pains for communion with God arise, don’t be deceived by the offer of the junk food of entertainment, of things, of busyness. You will soon find that, like carbohydrates, they don’t satisfy for long. Therefore, respond to the urge to pray, whenever and wherever you are. Satisfy your appetite for God by getting on your knees filling your mouth with praise and petitions and pleadings. You will be satisfied.
Finally, do the work of gathering with those who too are hungry for God. Isn’t it true that sometimes the last thing we want to do is gather with the church? Perhaps, on a particular Lord’s Day, you feel deeply discouraged and spiritually cold. Or perhaps the day has been long and going to Grace Group just doesn’t seem worth the effort. It is precisely then that we need to take ourselves in hand, remind ourselves that our spiritual stomachs are empty. This will urge us to gather and apply ourself to the work of fellowship. Methinks that such a response will yield a plate full of encouragement, satisfying our soul.
I don’t know all that was on Solomon’s mind when he wrote these wise words, but the principle he articulated aptly applies to a vast array of scenarios, including our walk with the Lord. Our appetite for devoted worship works for our benefit. And our desire to taste and see that the Lord is good urges us on (see Psalm 34:8).
Brothers and sisters, may 2025 be a year of profound appetite for knowing and walking with the Lord. May each of us know the spiritual power of this kind of hunger.
Doug