Hunger: A strong or compelling desire or craving
Since the moment my son was born he has been adept at expressing when he is hungry. As a newborn it was a piercing cry; as a baby it was a whine/whimper, which would turn into a cry of panic as soon as food was spotted; now, as a toddler, it is a demanding cry of panic- he sees the food and he needs it... now! I have been humored and slightly annoyed at his panic over food. "When have you ever seen food, been hungry, and I have not fed you?" (This thought to myself sometimes voiced to my child... of course I don't receive a response.) But recently I have had two thoughts/questions on this subject.
The first being this: How different would my life be if I hungered for God's Word (and expressed that hunger) as desperately as my toddler expresses his hunger for food? Imagine not being able to walk by your Bible without immediately grasping it up and abiding in it. Imagine not being able to feed your flesh's hunger until you had satisfied your spiritual hunger. To have a daily, urgent, hunger for abiding in Him would drastically alter my day, my plans, my thoughts, my life.
My second thought, however, was brought about by this question: Do I hunger like this in my life for anything?
The answer: Yes, I do. I express my panic towards God, I look at Him and beg, "Why aren't You feeding me," and all the while He is holding a spoon to my lips. My conviction about treating my Heavenly Father like a demanding toddler came twice in one week. Think He's trying to tell me something?
My being a toddler part 1:
In one instance I was frustrated with a situation, plus stressed that I was going to have a toddler and a newborn in a one bedroom/one study apartment (the study is about 7 sq feet by 5 sq feet, not really big enough for two cribs and a changing table). But financially we couldn't afford to move to a bigger apartment, plus our lease doesn't end until February (by which time baby 2 will be four months old!) So here am I panicking in a demanding, relentless voice to God crying out, "How are we supposed to make this work? Why are we in this stage of life? Why is this frustration in my life right now? etc, etc, etc..."
The Spoon:
This last week, the manager of our apartment offered to let us move into a two bedroom (as a result to the frustration issue), and not only that but to lower the price of the two bedroom in order to make it affordable for us to live in. And so the whole time I'm complaining God's sitting there with this perfect solution in hand, probably getting a little annoyed with me, because I am panicking and His provision is sitting there perfectly laid out.
My being a toddler part 2:
Recently, as I believe I have expressed earlier, we have had stress in our household. Which, I believe, every couple and family has on a regular basis, especially when, like us, it revolves around finances. This month I honestly had no idea how we were going to make certain payments. And again, my demanding complaint, as I look around and judge that others have been provided for in abundance, "Why am I not being provided for? God, don't you care about this stress in my life? How am I supposed to do this? What am I supposed to do?" Mind you, this is also after we studied the book of Luke and our assignment was to recognize that we were valued in Christ. So, God chose to give me a gentle reminder, a soft rebuking, and a sweet reassurance that I am indeed valued and He is taking care of me-
"Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe," John 20:29
God's Planned Provision:
A check sent by a dear friend in the exact amount needed to pay specific bills for this month. Mind you, I have heard of this kind of action and provision before- had heard testimonies of it from friends, but experiencing it first hand has been truly remarkable. And also convicting, because I have been called by God, through His Word, to "not worry about tomorrow" and yet there I was worrying, and fretting, and stressing, and being cross because I didn't truly believe that I was indeed valued. I didn't have faith that my Heavenly Father would truly provide for all my needs.
This week the prayer that each of us are praying in our Bible study is that we will abide in Him and in His Word, daily, constantly, incessantly.
