The Best Kind of Hungry

Recently, cups of coffee in hand, I asked my husband what weighs on him the most in ministry right now. “Lack of engagement,” was his answer, and by that he is referring to all of those who would say Fellowship Bible Church is their church, but are content to come only once or twice a month. From what I understand this trend is very common, and in fact young people today would define this once or twice a month attendance as “regular.” But of course we long for more for our people, that they would receive more regular teaching, be building deeper relationships with others, but more than that, that they would just be hungry. We long that their hunger for the Word of God and fellowship would drive their priorities.

As a third generation pastor’s wife who only missed a Sunday for sickness in my growing up years, it’s easy for me to point out the problems with modern church attendance—but the culture around me isn’t my standard, the Word of God is. And when I open the Word, my own lack of hunger makes me wince. Job 23:12 lands hard, “I have not departed from the commandment of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food.” I am so not with Job on this one. If I miss a meal my stomach burns and growls, my thinking gets fuzzy, and I know I have to get food to keep going. Three times a day–at least–I know I am in need and that there is only one solution. That kind of desperation, that “l have to get some now” attitude is not often reflected in my hunger for the Word of God. Not that I need to be curled up in my favorite chair with my Bible three times a day, but that I have a heart that recognizes its need for constant nourishment.

Really, no season of life keeps me from meditating on the Word and moment-by-moment prayer, no matter how much my dark heart would try to convince me otherwise. I have been through intensely busy seasons of around the clock work in the last few years, and somehow, I have always managed to feed myself physically. In Deuteronomy 8:3, Moses says that God purposely caused the Israelites to hunger, and then gave them manna, so that, “he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” Every stomach rumble is ordained by God to remind me of my need for spiritual food, not just physical food. This is God’s gracious pursuit of me, and all that remains for me is to pick up the food and eat. Why would I turn from offered nourishment? Matthew 5:6 offers, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”

This deep hunger and soul satisfaction, I want it for me and I want it for my church family, so I pray, “Lord, make us all a hungry people today.”