"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled." On the surface, this seems simple and self-explanatory. So, it is. However, for those who hunger and thirst, there is always more to God than what appears at the surface. His thoughts are eternally deeper and higher than ours. Regardless of your belief, disbelief or standing with God you will be blessed if you so much as pick up the Bible and look through it. If in distress you cry to God, you will be answered. If you tithe or give to God, you will be blessed. He sends rain and sunshine on both the just and the unjust. But, that is not the kind of blessing we are talking about here.
Jesus used the words "hunger" and "thirst" with specific intent. Though
wanting to be righteous is a good thing, He is not talking about satisfying wants here. He is talking about filling a need. Men must have food and drink to live more than a few days. We may not quite understand hunger in America.
Despite the bashing he took for it, Phil Graham was right on the mark when he said America is the only place where the poor are overweight. Most
Americans do not know real hunger; being without food for a week is not the same thing as wanting a cheeseburger. I'm not saying it doesn't happen in
America. I'm saying that in some parts of the world hunger is the norm.
Jesus is talking about wanting Him; hungering and thirsting for His
righteousness to the degree a starving man must have bread. Seek the word
and presence of God like a man on the brink of death. Seek righteousness like you will die without it. Without the righteousness of God that comes from His word and prayer, you will die as certainly as the man with no food or water.
Consider the starving man. He is filled with joy to receive a crust of bread. At
the same time, he is neither full nor satisfied by one bit of food. He wants his belly and his cupboards full of good things to eat. How sad that people are so
easily satified with one verse of scripture; one prayer; or one childhood of
church. The storehouse of God is overflowing. Pass close by and you will be
touched by a blessing. Hunger and thirst after God and you will be filled.
"O, taste and see that the Lord is good."
No comments:
Post a Comment