“For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things.” (Psalm 107:9, ESV). 

This week I have seen numerous postings on social media about a spirit of revival sweeping across a university campus in Kentucky. At the time I write this, a non-stop prayer meeting has been going on for over a week, with people arriving from across the country to become part of this experience. Many others are watching and participating online. Reports now say this revival spirit is spreading to other campuses.

People are hungry for God, and God is responding to that hunger.

God’s alarm system

Physical hunger is the body’s alarm system, built in by God to warn us that it’s time to eat. Without hunger, we could literally starve to death. Hunger gives us the perception of need. Yes, we can feel hunger when the body does not need food, but we can also need food but not want it. The alarm system has shut down.

The human body is very adaptable. Within our culture, we have three set mealtimes each day. Most of us, however, know people who skip meals, often breakfast or perhaps lunch. Soon the body adjusts to this new schedule and does not send hunger pangs at that time. If someone habitually works through lunch, they won’t feel those midsection twinges until in the car heading home for the day.

The spiritual man is the same. A person who attends every church service can hardly stand to miss.  As the clock moves toward service time, hunger will begin. In the same way, someone who habitually misses service will soon no longer desire to be there. Or, the one who skips personal devotion time with the Lord will soon forget the pleasure, the hunger, of that spiritual mealtime. The alarm is suppressed; hunger fades and finally disappears.

the danger of starvation

When we miss meals, our body dips into its reserves of food stored in the tissues. Hunger at this level, when the body is just beginning to deplete its reserves, is not really that unpleasant. If allowed to continue, however, the body will set up a system of priorities to protect its most important organs. That is why all fat reserves are used up first before the heart, brain, and lungs are affected.

The spiritual man can also suffer starvation if allowed to go for long periods without nourishment. In most cases, though, the famine is self-inflicted, caused by our careless habits. Amos describes it as “not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD” (Amos 8:11).

As we go for long periods without spiritual food, our hunger decreases and finally stops. Our stored reserves are used up, and we waste away. In our spiritual apathy, we die, unaware of the danger we are in.

how to protect ourselves

What can you do to protect yourself from spiritual starvation?

  • Eat regular meals. Be consistent with personal as well as group worship.
  • Get a balanced diet. Include prayer, personal Bible study, praise, worship, and the preached Word in your life.
  • Skip the junk food. Don’t ruin your appetite with carnal thoughts and actions. Many things, while perhaps not sin, will lessen your desire for things of the Spirit.
  • Continue to feed a dulled appetite. We all go through seasons when things just don’t have the spice or taste as good as they once did. Use self-discipline. If necessary, force yourself to eat until the taste buds once again crave the good things of the Lord.

If you sense you are in danger of spiritual apathy and starvation, consider the words of the prodigal son when he hit bottom.

“And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father” (Luke 15:17-18).

Gather around the table. It’s time to eat!

Lord, stir my soul with spiritual hunger until I crave more and more of You. Help me guard against carnality and apathy, things that will blunt my appetite for the things of the Spirit. Let revival fires burn in my soul.

 

Author

Mary enjoys traveling, meeting new people, and spending time with old friends. Although directionally challenged, she would rather take the back roads with their discoveries than the boredom of the interstate.

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