Appetites (Discipleship Article #2)

 

The summer before my junior year in high school, I took a bicycle trip with some family friends. The goal was to bike all the way around Lake Michigan, starting in Illinois and finishing in Wisconsin. We didn't make it the entire way around the lake, but we got very close. All in all, it was over two weeks of continuous bicycling - no matter the precipitation or the heat of the day.

While on this trip, I discovered something new. If I got thirsty enough, even warm water tasted good. Granted, I had to be very thirsty, but this often happened because we rarely stopped unless it was absolutely necessary So, when I did get thirsty, I gladly drank the water that I had, even though it had been affected by the sun. In normal circumstances, I would have dumped this water into the grass. I have rarely known that kind of thirst in my life, nor have I easily forgotten it.

This thirst is reminiscent of the Psalmist's proclamation in Chapter 42:

1 As a deer longs for flowing streams,

so my soul longs for you, O God.

 

2 My soul thirsts for God,

for the living God.

When shall I come and behold

the face of God?

 

When was the last time you were this thirsty or hungry?

 

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

(Matthew 5:6).

 

What are the appetites that we feed in our lives? Do we hunger after the Lord, His direction, His life. If our occasional hunger for God is placated, but treated as optional, what other appetites are taking over? The reality is that “hungering after God” is a gift that only he can give, but one we have to truly want. This kind of hunger is developed by planning, commitment, and time. It must be developed and prioritized.

 

It is only through hungering after our God and seeking him that gives us true and lasting fulfillment. He wants to fill us up, but if our “baskets” are already full of other things, His life-giving gifts will go elsewhere.

 

Ps. 81:

10 I am the Lord your God,

   who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.

   Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.

 

11 ‘But my people did not listen to my voice;

   Israel would not submit to me.

12 So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts,

   to follow their own counsels.

 

13 O that my people would listen to me,

   that Israel would walk in my ways!

 

16 I would feed you with the finest of the wheat,

   and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.’

 

The appetites we develop, feed, and prioritize will end up defining us and our values. There is no lasting discipleship to the Lord Jesus Christ without developing and feeding the right kind of hunger. Our commitment as disciples of Christ to the weekly worship of Word and Sacrament is paramount. However, if we are going to develop our spiritual strength and stamina, we must pursue Christ and His community in deeper and more intimate ways. Discipleship groups with qualified and trained teachers, personal prayer and meditation, and constant immersion in Holy Scripture help give us the nutrition and training to stay fit and prepared in our journey with Christ and His people.

Let us seek, hunger, and thirst after our God.