Hungry I come to You
For I know You satisfy
I am empty but I know
Your love does not run dry
Hungry, Vineyard Worship
“For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world.” Then they said to Him, “Lord, always give us this bread.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.”
John 6:33-35, NIV
Many of us have reached adulthood and have been privileged enough to never know real physical hunger. The hunger of not having eaten in days. The kind of hunger that leads to emaciation, fainting and convulsions.
Spiritually, however, most of us are in that state today.
The kind of hunger that consumes and keeps consuming like a black hole.
The kind of hunger that no amount of drugs, sex, food, entertainment, money, fame or viral cat videos can satisfy.
I remember in our Gynecology and Obstetrics course at the Medical Academy, we talked about the cravings that pregnant women get – and how sometimes the cravings were misrepresented by the brain.
For example, a mom-to-be might crave ice or even sand – but eating these things will have negative consequences for the baby as it doesn’t satisfy the nutritional requirement being sent to the brain. What the baby really needs at that stage is IRON – so iron-rich foods or a supplement would be a better choice. Eating sand or ice would leave the baby with an iron deficiency instead.
And so it is with our spiritual lives. Our innermost craves reconciliation and communion with God. Our inner self knows that only Jesus can satisfy the longing and the thirsting of the soul – but the carnal mind misinterprets and misrepresents this craving – this hunger – and leads us down the path to deficiency instead.
Only Jesus can comfort, heal and restore. Only Jesus through the work of His Holy Spirit in us can satisfy.
Psalm 84:2: My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.
This is where we find ourselves today – right now – in this moment. Hungry, thirsty and trying to fill that hole deep inside with all kinds of things instead of turning to Jesus.
He is the Bread of Heaven. Those who partake in Him will never hunger again.
Jesus is calling.
He is saying, “come and drink the Living Water, come and thirst no more. Come and eat the Bread of Heaven – come and be satisfied!”
No more eating sand.
No more eating dirt.
Come and be filled.
Prayer:
Lord, I am hungry, and I am thirsty. I realize today that nothing in this world can fill that hole except for You. It is a God-shaped hole. Lord, come and fill me. Come and restore, come and revive me. Jesus, come and satisfy the longing of my soul. Come and heal me of my loneliness, my emptiness – come and find me again. Come and fill me Lord with Your love, Your goodness and Your grace as I swing wide the doors of my heart to You anew today. Let me hunger and thirst for righteousness and live a life pleasing to You. In Jesus name. Amen.
Think:
- Identifying “Sand & Dirt” Substitutes: What temporary, worldly quick-fixes (work, media, material items, approval) do you default to when feeling spiritually exhausted or empty?
- Recognizing the Craving: Just as the brain misinterprets a nutritional deficiency, how can you train yourself to recognize moments of anxiety, boredom, or discontentment as a signal to seek God rather than immediate distractions?
- Experiencing True Satisfaction: Think of a time when spending raw, unfiltered time in God’s presence genuinely satisfied your soul. What steps can you take to prioritize that communion this week?
Do:
The “Spiritual Fast & Feast” Audit
- Identify your default “sand”: Select one digital or physical distraction you typically reach for when feeling bored, stressed, or spiritually hollow (e.g., late-night social media scrolling, binge-watching shows, impulse shopping).
- Pause and replace: For the next 3 days, set a timer or place a reminder card over that app/object. Whenever you reach for it, pause for 60 seconds.
- Feast on the Bread: Use those 60 seconds to open a Psalm (like Psalm 84), pray a simple 1-sentence prayer (“Jesus, fill my hunger with Your presence right now”), or take a deep breath acknowledging His availability.
