Blessed are...

My apologies... our server has been down.

Hunger and Thirst March 5

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”
Matthew 5:6

Most of us have no real idea what it is to be hungry or thirsty. If the urge comes upon us, and supper is too far distant, then we can always raid the refrigerator, or the pantry. If we feel a little dry after working in the yard, we can always find something to drink, even if it has to come from the faucet. We have no understanding of what it means to be so hungry that our bellies swell; we cannot imagine being so dehydrated that our vision turns red, our lips turn blue and begin to split. We have become accustomed to luxuries only dreamed of in other parts of the world.

Hunger and thirst were very real in Jesus’ day. His hearers would, most likely, have experienced deprivation at some time during their lives. Many of them must have identified with the picture He painted – of longing for relief, of refreshment and sustenance in a dry and barren land. No doubt many of them also understood the deeper meaning behind the imagery.

Human beings are made up of many appetites. Without food and water we cannot survive, but we are more than machines, more than animals. We are not just what we eat. Our needs are not simply material. We are hungry for affection. We thirst for meaningful relationships. Neglected, our souls wither. We long for righteousness, to be at peace with God and with our neighbors.

There is a blessing to be found when our longing turns from bread to the Bread of Life, especially when we strive to bear that blessing to others.



Father God,
There is a hunger within me that You alone can satisfy.
There is a thirst that You alone can quench.
To You alone, Lord, I cry out in my time of trouble,
for You alone can deliver me from my distress
and fill me with good things.
Through Christ my Lord.
Amen.