ICF Devotional

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

for they will be filled.

Matthew 5:6

There are times when an aroma floats in the air and my stomach reacts with a deep desire that only that food can satisfy.  I am typically surprised by how hungry I am. Pasta often triggers that feeling.  Sauces like marinara, alfredo and pesto ladled on a fresh plate of steaming noodles warm me inside and out.  I eat slowly.  Each bite is satisfying and enjoyable.  The flavors seem more alive than they typically do.  A sense of satisfaction overcomes me and everything feels better.  Conversation, smells, and space become a symphony about me fulfilling more needs than simple hunger.  I was craving something and I didn’t even realize it.  

This is a beatitude that is so easy to understand because food is something we can all identify with.  We have all had those meals that are so deeply satisfying.  We talk about them over the next few days as memories of deep fulfillment and enjoyment linger.

This is how God wants us to feel about Him.  Just as our bodies need food and water, so our souls need righteousness.  When our souls cry out for right relationship with God and people, we are craving righteousness.  Every person has this deep craving within them at some point in life, but only a few realize that only God can satisfy it.  A right relationship with God is just as vital to our lives as food is.  

Just like hunger and satisfying food, it sometimes takes me by surprise how much I was craving God.  I read my Bible every day just like I eat food every day.  But there are moments when I hear a song or read a verse or walk in the woods when my soul cries out to God and He fills me with a deep peace.  I realize in that moment that when I hunger and crave for God, He alone fills my souls which then overflows in my every action and encounter I have.   When God fills us with righteousness we are not to keep it to ourselves.  It should spill over to other people causing them realize that they are also craving righteousness.   

Take some time alone today to read your Bible or listen to praise music.  Take a walk and think about God.  Allow  your soul the space and time to crave God.  Then allow God to fill you and satisfy your hunger.