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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 2 – Intermediate)
Topic: Hunger (07/04/24)
Malnourishment

When five-dime stores had a lunch counter, the aroma of hamburgers cooking awakened most customers' hunger sensors. Of course, the closer one came to the scent, the louder the sizzling sound of the patties on the grill added to the stomach’s need to be fed.

One such Saturday in the early 1960’s, my family of five was on a shopping mission. Momma pushed the buggy while Daddy walked beside her, discussing their purchases. My sisters and I shopped with our eyes and dreamed of what to add to the cart, but we knew funds were limited. All at once, people began staring at us. Mom and Dad turned around to see why, and in the middle of the aisle, my little sister, who was four at the time, trailed behind holding her stomach, saying in a faint, breathless voice, “I hungy…I hungy…I hungy.”

Momma quickly picked her up and put her in the cart. We finished our shopping trip and went home to eat. My fortunate family always had something to eat. It may have been red beans, fried tators, and cornbread several times a week, but we were never hungry.

Countless heartbreaking television ads reveal the hunger situation around the world. Starving communities line up daily or whenever to receive a scoop of rice or gruel to fill their empty stomachs. Some people may spend their entire day waiting to be fed or searching for nourishment.

But let’s take our focus off the stomach's hunger and turn to empty hearts and minds, where the love of Christ is needed to fill the "holy hunger." This type of starvation runs rampant. It affects the affluent and the poverty-stricken neighborhoods in all world societies. No one is immune.

The word malnourishment may even come into play when for those who have starved for so long that their hearts and minds have shut almost completely down because their “holy hunger” has turned into a loss of hope for a better tomorrow. They feel deprived because there is no purpose, no passion to pursue a lifetime goal, no reason to smile, and no joy to share with a loved one. Here are signs of “holy hunger”—negativity, worry, lack of compassion, and loneliness. One may conclude that financial gains or good works will fill this emptiness; however, God, the Great Creator, designed the human body to feel the physical need to eat food and experience the spiritual hunger of knowing His love.

Scriptures throughout the Bible explain how God will feed us with His Word to satisfy this "holy hunger." Psalm 42:1-2 compares physical and spiritual hunger. “As a deer pants for the water brooks, So my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God…”
In John 6:35, Jesus says, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to Me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in Me shall never thirst.” The more a believer feeds upon God’s “Living Word,” the more one is filled with His strength to overcome life obstacles and gain the desire to build a loving relationship with Him. His Word is sweet and tastes like honey. Proverbs 16:24 states, “Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, Sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.”

Another thought about filling the emptiness is to stuff hearts and minds with the junk food of life. This is not bags of potato chips, chocolate candy bars, or sugared sodas, but television shows, scrolling cell phone screens, seeking selfish motives to make us feel better about ourselves. We waste too much time attempting to soothe our aching hearts and minds only to neglect others by depriving them of knowing how to build a real relationship with God. We need to have Jesus conversations with them every day. Most importantly, we should realize that unsatisfied spiritual hunger can cause us to sin against our Heavenly Father.

So, the next you hear the words, “I’m hungry,” offer that person both nourishment for the body (a cup of coffee and a snack) and nourishment for the soul by having a Jesus conversation, saying to that person how much Jesus loves everyone. If that person is you, stop and spend time reading His Word, worshiping in song or silence, and take a break from your busy schedule to tell God what is on your heart and mind. He will give you His spiritual nourishment, which offers peace, love, joy, and hope.
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
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This article has been read 259 times
Member Comments
Member
Date
Terry R A Eissfeldt 
07/11/24
A great devotional. Thank you
Rhonda Barber 
07/15/24
This was a very encouraging article to read. You did a great job. I particularly liked the line that said, "unsatisfied spiritual hunger can cause us to sin against our Heavenly Father." That is so true. If we spend time regularly with the Word, we tend to stumble less. I needed that reminder. I stay very busy and sometime neglect regular feedings of God's Word. Thank you for sharing!
Philippa Geaney
07/18/24
This is brilliant.
Great message.
I loved it.