Shoving the pantry door aside, I glanced at the meager contents perched on the shelves. Two or three cans of green beans. A few packets of noodles. Shuffling to the refrigerator, I peered inside.  There, a six-pack of my mother’s favorite cola stood sentinel. My stomach growled in empathy. I retrieved my humble dinner ingredients from the kitchen closet and offered a simple prayer of thanks. I knew what it meant to hunger—but what does it mean to hunger for God?

 

What Does It Mean to Hunger for God?

Newly delivered from the hand of a tyrant, God’s chosen crossed the Red Sea into a barren land. Though Moses led them, they spewed complaints—suggesting the bondage of Egypt eclipsed the misery of their wandering.

Exodus 16:3 (NASB) expresses Israel’s discontent, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat, when we ate bread until we were full; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this entire assembly with hunger!”

The physical longing that drove the Israelites to utter foolish words burns within each of us. We were created to need the Lord in such a way that only He can fulfill our longings, desires, and appetites.

We were created to need the Lord in such a way that only He can fulfill our longings, desires, and appetites. #hungerforGod Click To Tweet

The beautiful story of God’s provision in the desert illustrates more than His miraculous power. It presents a picture of humanity’s ongoing need for God. For daily sustenance.

“He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord.” Deuteronomy 8:3 describes the physical need of hunger in spiritual terms and expresses the source of our strength.

We learn even more about hungering for God from Jesus who affirmed, “I am the bread of life.” (John 6:35).

Hungering for God entails:

• Spiritual humility
• Recognition of need
• Holy provision
• Continual feasting on the Word

 

How Did Hungering for God Impact Christ?

The gospels reveal that Jesus was “led by the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 4:1) into the Judean wilderness following His baptism.

There, unlike the man in the garden, the second Adam denied self—choosing hunger rather than succumbing to appetite. While Adam resided in Paradise, Jesus lacked the benefit of bounty and though Man enjoyed the comfort of companionship, God’s son remained alone. Both faced the Enemy but Christ overcame Satan with the word of God.

Fasting in humble submission, Jesus defeated Satan with a belly bloated by physical hunger but fed by more than a month of prayer, worship, and meditation.

Hungering for God drew Jesus ever closer to the Father’s heart. Despite His weakened body, Christ was undeterred. Temporary flesh would not separate Him from the love He had known before the Incarnation.

Temporary flesh would not separate Him from the love He had known before the Incarnation. #hungeringforGod Click To Tweet

As He said, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes out of the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4 NASB)

 

The Significance of Forty Days and Hungering for God

Why did Jesus fast for forty days? The number forty often represents testing, purification, or teaching throughout scripture. Consider the following situations.

• God flooded the earth 40 days and forty nights. (Genesis 7:1-24) During that time, Noah and his family remained cradled in the safety of the ark.
• The Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years. (Exodus 16:35) Because the spies refused to enter the Promised Land after they surveilled the land for forty days, God determined they would remain in the wilderness for forty years.
• Moses interceded on behalf of the people for 40 days (Deuteronomy 9:18, 25) after the idolatrous worship of the golden calf.
• The people of Nineveh repented and fasted for 40 days. (Jonah 3:4-5)
• Elijah journeyed for 40 days to meet with God on Mount Horeb. (1 Kings 19:8)
• Following His resurrection, Jesus appeared to people and performed miracles for 40 days. (Acts 1:3)

 

The forty days Jesus spent in the wilderness preceded the most important ministry in the world. They are, arguably, forty of the most significant days in history.

Conclusion

Hunger as a youth helped me understand what it means to hunger for God. We all have that God-sized need–the longing to fill our souls with meaning. Purpose.

He is the answer. Our daily bread. Manna from heaven.

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Tammy Kennington

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