Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Matthew 5:6 NRSV
How does it feel to be physically hungry and thirsty? We are blessed in this country, and most do not know that feeling. At most, we may experience occasional stomach rumbling or lightheadedness for those with low blood sugar. I wonder how our experience of reading this scripture might change if we hadn't eaten or drank for 40 days like Jesus in the wilderness.
We may not fully identify with the physical hunger and thirst, but we all have experienced this spiritually. Since the fall of man, we have been separated from Godly thinking and actions. Our natural inclination is toward sin. While that is our bent, it doesn't have to remain our choice. That thing that is broken and missing–what we truly hunger and thirst for is available. We can be filled! In accepting Jesus Christ, we are introduced to his righteousness.
However, this craving is not met by a one-time filling but by continually returning to be fed. As we seek God's plan for us, his church, his community, and his world, we are filled with the Holy Spirit but must return to His table. This filling happens when we participate in the Lord's Supper and feed daily upon the Word. In consuming and digesting scripture and praying for guidance, we become strengthened for whatever we face that day. Renewed by the Holy Writ, it helps prepare us to act righteously.
God of all grace, thank you for filling our spiritual hunger. We give thanks for the redemptive healing power found through Jesus Christ. We come before you today hungry and thirsty for your righteousness. Help us grow within your grace; fill us with your Holy Spirit so that our words and actions reflect your heart and mind. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
Blessings,
Pastor Tim
