Have you ever been hungry? Undoubtedly you probably answered “Yes” to that question. What does it look like for you to be hungry? For me, I usually am not much fun to be around – aka ‘hangry’. I can have anything from a minor headache to major irritability when I am hungry. Fortunately, it is easily fixed if I am offered a good meal.

Have you ever been thirsty? I would venture to guess that most people are more often hungry than they are thirsty. On the few occasions that I have been thirsty, one thing is for sure –I can hardly function. My mouth is dry, I feel faint, weak-kneed and can’t think straight. Dehydration can lead to serious health issues.

So what is the difference between being hungry and being thirsty? And why did God enable our bodies to feel such things? I know from experience that when I try to satisfy my hunger with food, it sometimes takes a while for me to feel full again. I also know that I can ignore my hunger for far longer than I can ignore my thirst. To survive, the average person can go up to three weeks without food but only three days without water. Both are important, but it seems that thirst is the more essential need to satisfy. Interestingly enough when I am thirsty, the minute that cold water hits my mouth, my thirst is quenched. I would like to argue that God allows our bodies to feel hunger and thirst so that we are prompted to take care of ourselves in the way that He designed us.  We need food and water to survive so hunger and thirst remind us to take care of those basic needs.

But what happens when our hunger and thirst are spiritual? Just as God uses our physical promptings to take care of our physical body, He also uses spiritual promptings to remind us to pay attention to our foundations of faith. If we are not careful, hunger and thirst in our spiritual life which goes unattended can cause cracks in that foundation. Perhaps you are in a situation where God has asked you to be alone at this season of life and you hunger for companionship.  Or perhaps you are in a season of brokenness in your body and you hunger for healing. You may even feel insignificant and hunger for purpose in your life. So many people try to satisfy their spiritual hunger with bad relationships, addictive substances or popularity only to find out that the hunger is still there. While it is true we can survive longer in our physical bodies with hunger, we can also survive longer in our spiritual lives with hunger; but the longer we go hungry, the larger and more perilous the crack in our foundation of faith grows.

Even more critical than spiritual hunger is spiritual thirst. There might be a situation in your life that you have no control over and the future looks bleak. You are thirsty for hope. Or maybe God is asking you to do something completely outside your comfort zone. You want to say “yes” to God but you are thirsty for faith. What about finding yourself in a situation of complete and utter chaos and thirsting for peace? The body can survive three weeks without food and three days without water but what about our spirit? There is good news…

John 6:35 states: Then Jesus declared, “He who comes to Me will never go hungry, and he who believes in Me will never be thirsty.”

To satisfy our spiritual hunger we must COME to Jesus. Jesus says “I am the bread of life.” (John 6:35) Similar to when we eat a good meal, it might take time for the spiritual hunger to lessen in our soul as we seek Him to nourish us with His companionship, His healing and His approval.  But God’s Word promises satisfaction when we come to Him in praise. Psalm 63:4-5 says, “I will praise You as long as I live, and in Your Name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods.” 

But to satisfy our spiritual thirst we only need to BELIEVE IN HIM. Just as our thirst is quenched upon the first drop of water to touch our lips, when we believe in  Jesus, we are filled with hope, faith and peace by the power of His Holy Spirit. Jesus says “Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” (John 7:38).

Are you spiritually hungry and thirsty today? Jesus invites you to COME and BELIEVE!