It’s time to eat!
I think I might personally relate to this beatitude more than any of the others: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” In my natural in-born wiring I am an over-achiever, a perfectionist and unfortunately tend to be very independent and self-reliant. In the world, these might seem like good and even helpful attributes, but in the Kingdom of God? Not so much. Needless to say, it has taken me a lifetime to learn how to submit my instinctual tendencies to the Lord and live on a whole new spiritual plane, yielding to God’s will for my life and training my mind to think from a biblical perspective. With that being said, the Heavenly Father put a burning desire in me, from a young age to seek His righteousness. To want to do what is right and what would be pleasing to Him. Notice how I said God put that desire in me? We must be careful to never boast of our faith or our efforts to do good, for everything we have, think and feel, that is good and holy comes to us through grace from the Lord.
The major idea of this verse is that God planted a seed of hunger, inside each and every person, an inner-longing for a life of eternal bliss, an intimate relationship with our Creator. But if a person is never exposed to the Gospel and perhaps, is even convinced there is no such thing as spirituality, they will never truly understand these mysterious desires that burn within them. Many will try to soothe these uneasy feelings with food or alcohol or their favorite soda. Quite literally fulfilling the words of this verse about trying to quench their hunger and thirst, but as we know, these are only temporary fixes, and a few hours later, you will be hungry and thirsty again.
As we mature and the temptations of this world grow more intense and dangerous, some will choose to try to satisfy their burning desires with sex or drugs. Some will choose a life of crime, hoping to gain the money or respect they thought would quench their thirst for power. Others will take risks and have compulsive behaviors, just to experience an emotional high that will, for a moment, make that intense need for more in life, dissipate. For most of us, while we are still teenagers or in our twenties these efforts to satisfy the human soul might even be considered normal and validated by the world, but it will not take long, before you realize, there are no good answers this world has to offer, none that have lasting effects. And it is by going through this frustrating and desperate experience that some people will come to know Jesus, seeking the One who can bring them healing and a kind of fulfillment nothing else they had tried, ever could.
But many people are not so fortunate, and they are either not exposed to the truth and love of the Gospel, or they are rebellious and refuse to earnestly surrender their lives to live as Jesus-followers. These people will suffer greatly from things like depression, anxiety, addictions, relationship issues and just an overall lack of joy in life. Because there is only one food, one drink that will cure your cravings: and His name is Jesus.
When you make efforts to seek Him earnestly, there is a reward far greater than any promotion spiritually or within your ministry. There is something more fulfilling than any food or drink, of this world, that you could consume. Significant healing, deliverance and breakthrough happens at the feet of Jesus, now what will it take for you to be there, whole heartedly without distraction? That will depend on you, the season you are in, or the greater depths to which the Father would like to increase your faith and relationship with Him. When you seek to be in His presence, to truly hunger for more and more of Him, to be holy and righteousness (and not for accolades or promotions), know this, God will give you exactly what you need as a result of your efforts to eat and drink of Him, and you will be satisfied.
To learn more, check out Dr. Rothmeyer’s podcast: https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-n5rwc-11caba7