HungerandThirst | Kristi's Morning Devotional

There’s something to be said for life experience.

I am grateful for the years I have been blessed with; as a child we moved regularly because of my dad’s job. My middle and high school years were spent in my hometown of Yuma and my married life started in the desert and brought me back here. The in between years took us to California, Washington, Idaho and Montana.

So many memories and experiences to draw from. This morning’s Bible reading was just such a moment.

“As the deer desires rivers of water, so my soul desires You, O God. ²My soul is thirsty for God, for the living God. When will I come and meet with God? ³My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me all day long, ‘Where is your God?’…⁸The Lord will send His loving-kindness in the day. And His song will be with me in the night, a prayer to the God of my life…¹¹Why are you sad, O my soul? Why have you become troubled within me? Hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my help and my God.” Psalm 42 NLV

Many times, I have seen the deer come to the water during the hot summer months. Most often they come at night or early morning. The darkness is a protection from predators, or so it seems. But when the sun is hot, and the desert is dry they will come in the daylight.

Thirsty and desperate they come! Thirsty and desperate we come!

In our moments of crises, we come. A near fatal accident, the end of a marriage, indebtedness, illness, physical weakness, danger – they all draw us to a place of seeking God. I know you’ve probably heard the expression “there are no atheist in foxholes”.

Why do we wait to come to God? Why do we do “all we can, so we better pray”? That’s what the disciples did when they were in the storm on the sea. Why do we wait for the heat of our situation to draw us to the Father?

How much better is it to be a sheep instead of a deer?

“The Lord is my Shepherd. I will have everything I need. ²He lets me rest in fields of green grass. He leads me beside the quiet waters. ³He makes me strong again.” Psalm 23:1-3 NLV

When we have a sheep’s mindset we follow; we don’t try to handle life on our own. We trust the Shepherd. We start our day following Him and end it resting in His protection.

Yesterday I had a neighbor, and a friend, tell me “I start each day by saying ‘Lord be with me today and help me be with You'”. We know He has promised to never leave us but sometimes we leave Him.

We have the promise of His loving-kindness throughout the day and His soothing song in the night. How good it is to know that when we are thirsty He is there. I’m so thankful for His presence!

Those of you who have small children or grandchildren know those words all too well. They can be annoying sometimes because it seems all we are doing is finding another snack or making another meal. But those words come naturally to a growing child.

We just had the littles here and it seemed they were always hungry!

They ate good breakfast, lunch and dinner but in less than an hour it seemed they were hungry again. They didn’t want sugary snacks. No, they asked for cheese, crackers, oranges, yogurt (I didn’t have any) and other good foods. These are growing children and they need nutrients to make their bodies strong.

I kind of felt like a mother bird bringing in nourishment to the nest only to immediately fly away and find more. That’s the picture that comes to mind when I read this verse from the book of Matthew.

“Those who are hungry and thirsty to be right with God are happy, because they will be filled.” Matthew 5:6 NLV

Being hungry for God! What do those words mean to you? These words are part of the “Sermon on the Mount”. It was one of Jesus’ major teachings – the Beatitudes, the Lord’s Prayer, the Light of the World -are all teachings from that day.

We sit down several times a day to feed our physical bodies but how often do we feed our spirits? It’s vitally important that we have a hunger for God’s word.

Look what Proverbs says:

“Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, and the years of your life will be many. ¹¹I have taught you in the way of wisdom. I have led you on the right paths. ¹²When you walk, your steps will not be stopped. If you run, you will not trip. ¹³Take hold of teaching. Do not let go. Watch over her, for she is your life.” Proverbs 4:10-13 NLV

When we devour God’s word He promises to guard our step. Wisdom from His word gives us direction and we find our life, real life, in the pages of His word.

Studying God’s word is like being invited to a banquet. The Word of God is the life source for those of us who follow Christ.

“The Lord says, “If you love me and truly know who I am, I will rescue you and keep you safe.
¹⁵When you are in trouble, call out to me. I will answer and be there to protect and honor you. ¹⁶You will live a long life and see my saving power.” Psalm 91:14-16 CEV

To truly know who God is, we have to spend time listening to Him and He speaks to us through His word. His word is filled with the promises of all the good things He desires for us to have.

He’s a loving Father and has so many good things prepared for us. He’s just waiting for us come and say, “I’m hungry”. When we do, we have His promise that we will be filled!

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Thirsty & Thankful

I’m Hungry!