The Hungry And Thirsty

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. The fourth beatitude doesn’t refer so much to what we are but to what we desire to be, for righteousness is the state of being right with God. Implicit here is the fact that we can desire righteousness even if we aren’t righteous, and in desiring it, we are inviting God to fill us with it. The issue, however, isn’t whether God will keep His promise to fill us with righteousness, but whether we really desire righteousness; whether we seriously purpose to be good. If we do, it must not be a fleeting or failing desire, as is made clear by the two figures Jesus uses. Hunger is a very real thing; there’s nothing vague or indefinite about it. It is a craving, a gnawing, that can result in an acute pain. When hungry, I mean, really hungry, there is an intensity and earnestness about us that doesn’t cease until our desire is filled.

When Israel hungered in the wilderness, God gave them manna every day to eat. But the manna had to be gathered every day; as the hunger revived the supply was renewed. A day’s manna could not be stored up for future use; yesterday’s supply would not serve for today, and today’s supply would not suffice for tomorrow. Sufficient to each day was the manna thereof. As bad as the pangs of hunger can be, the torture of unsatisfied thirst is said to be worse. I’ve never been beyond the reach of immediate satisfaction for my thirst, but those who have been trapped in mid-desert or mid-ocean know its anguish.

The 42nd Psalm comes to mind: “As the heart panteth for the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God” (vs 1–2). Whether men are conscious of it or not, this is the cry of every soul. God has made us in such a way that we have a longing for Him. We may deny it, we may suppress it, but it is there, and there are moments in every life when the desire and craving for God are undeniable. And when the need is felt, it is to Jesus we must go for satisfaction. He stood in the synagogue at Capernaum and declared Himself to be the Bread of Life.

At Jacob’s well, He told a woman of questionable morals that if she would drink the water He had to give, she would never be thirsty again. The road to alcoholism or drug use may start due to many reasons: desire to be part of a crowd, desire to forget, pleasure over the taste or the effect, etc. But if continued, it gets to the point where a man doesn’t drink from pleasure but from necessity. He drinks again and again because he has an uncontrollable thirst that is not satisfied for long. Although an addict’s desire may be suggestive of a Christian’s desire for righteousness, only the Christian addiction leads to true filling and satisfying. Hungering and thirsting for anything else will leave us empty.       Kenny Chumbley