Hungry

Tonight I had the privilege of serving the Lord by serving 10 homeless men. Several of us prepared and served the meal while others washed sheets, slept over, shared music and the Word, or drove the men to and from the shelter and the church where they stay for the night because the shelter is over-crowded.

One man asked for prayer for a job interview he has tomorrow at 1 pm. During the course of our conversation, he also asked for prayer for his sister who has been in a coma for 4 months. She suffered with a form of muscular dystrophy all her life, and now is on life support with no brain activity. He hasn’t seen her in over 4 years because he was incarcerated. His request? For God’s will to be done.

Hearing these stories and many others like them help put things in perspective. Somehow, issues like laundry problems (my daughter at college), car problems (my son’s leaks oil requiring major repair), relationship problems, financial problems, and so on, seem to be less consequential by comparison. Normally, I wouldn’t recommend comparison which causes all sorts of dilemmas, including envy, self-consciousness, and feelings of inferiority, to name a few. But in this case, seeing how men who own just a duffle bag’s worth of belongings are praising God, asking for prayer, seeking His will, humbles me. It puts things in perspective.

When I got home, I was going through some of my papers that had been put in a box several years ago and forgotten. I came across the following paragraph that talks about being hungry -hungry for God.

The strongest, most mature Christians I have ever met are the most hungry for God. It might seem that those who eat the most would be the least hungry. But that’s not the way it works with an inexhaustible fountain, and an infinite feast and a glorious Lord. When you take your stand on the finished work of God in Christ, and begin to drink at the River of Life and eat the Bread of Heaven, and know that you have found the end of all your longings, you only become more hungry for God. – John Piper

Wow! That is so true. I find that the more I get into the Word – the more I want to get into it more! Follow me? Does that make sense? The more time I spend getting to know God and getting to know more about God makes me want to know Him more and know more about Him.
Conversely, if I neglect time with God, I get into a pattern where I find myself going through the motions and living far too shallow an existence. Oh, that you and I would get our fill, and then fill up some more from that “inexhaustible fountain and infinite feast”.

Paul said, “I have learned how to get along happily whether I have much or little. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need. And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from His glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.” Phil. 4:11-13,19 NLT

May you hunger only for more of Him, and may He satisfy you completely.
Susan

ps – Hi, Maria! Thanks for your encouragement tonight. Hope you enjoy reading this in the morning!