Did you know that hunger is a God-given bodily function?  It’s necessarily convenient; you’re finally getting somewhere in your work and suddenly, “I’m hungry; I’d better take a break and get something to eat.”  Or we’re pushing toward the next summit, and it’s suddenly like, “I’m hungry.  Should I stop now or push on to the next viewpoint?”  And people trying to lose weight are like, “Why am I hungry all of the time?”

Physical hunger tells us that we need to eat; we need food to strengthen us to finish the hike, climb to the next summit, or get us out of the next crazy situation that may be just around the next corner in the trail.  God gave us the feeling of hunger to trigger our minds to tell us that we need to get nourishment.

So while it can be incontinent at times, hunger isn’t a bad thing.  It keeps us from fainting on the trail because we were so overwhelmed by the magnificent views that we completely forgot about the granola bars in our packs.  It strengthens us for the journey before us.  Jesus knows we need food; He said, “Look at the birds of the air… their heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not more valuable than they?” (Matthew 6:26)

Similar to physical hunger, spiritual hunger is also a useful tool.  It tells us that we are not as close to our heavenly Father as we should be.  It indicates that there is (in the words of Petra), “a higher place to go – beyond belief.”  It indicates that it’s time to move on from our current space and time into the new thing that God is doing.

God stirred up the hunger of the Israelites before Jesus came by sending John the Baptist to, “prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.” (Matthew 3:3)  Their hunger drew them out to the wilderness to be baptized by John; that hunger combined with repentance prepared them to receive the Messiah.

Hunger is what moves us out of complacency, but it’s also what prepares us for what God is about to do.  When we’re hungry for Him, we’re more likely to feed ourselves on Him and His word.  This strengthens us with spiritual food.  The strength will be necessary for the next step of God’s journey for us.

Over the past year or so, I’ve seen hunger for God grow.  It doesn’t always manifest itself in pretty, God-honoring ways because people are turning to earthly things to fill the hunger that God is stirring up.  But if you can recognize the hunger, then you can recognize that God is calling to feast on Him and His goodness – and that will strengthen you for His road ahead.