Matthew 5:6 / ESV
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
I was recently in my prayer room and heard my dog in the other room scratching at his water bowl. It was empty. He kept scratching at it, making lots of noise and moving it around. He didn’t, himself, have the ability to fill it but he was thirsty, so he kept scratching, hoping someone would take notice and come help him out. Eventually I filled his bowl, he drank and was happy and satisfied.
As I was listening to him scratch, I wondered why he didn’t just stop and wait until I came back in the room. His scratching wouldn’t accomplish anything. Or would it? He was thirsty. He was desperate. He wanted my attention. He knows I always take care of him, but he was in need of water now and had a thirst that couldn’t wait to be satisfied. His persistence caught my attention and caused me to notice his immediate thirst. In that moment, I felt the Lord speak to me and say, “I want you to thirst for Me like that.”
To thirst means to have a strong or eager desire or a craving for something. My dog wasn’t going to give up until I filled his bowl. So, not only did he have an eager desire for water, but he was insistent and tenacious about it, almost to the point of annoyance. He made sure I heard him and there was no question as to what he wanted.
In Matthew 5:6, Jesus calls us to hunger and thirst after God and His righteousness. He continues on in that same passage to tell us that He will satisfy our craving. He will fulfill our need, the longing appetite we have for Him and His presence. He won’t leave us unfulfilled. David declares in Psalm 63:1, “O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.” This paints such a vivid picture for us. Imagine being stranded out in a desert somewhere with no food or water in sight. A slight wind blows through but provides no relief because it’s so hot. The ground is cracked and dry from drought and it feels hopeless as though we might die from lack of refreshment. We long for a cold drink of water. Just one sip. And we believe that one sip will give us what need to continue on. It is in this same way we are to seek after God, with complete abandon. The great news is that when we seek Him, we will find Him. When we draw near to Him, He draws near to us. When we knock, He opens the door.
Seeking after something, searching for something, takes time. It requires dedication, perseverance and consistency until we locate the thing we’re in search of. God is everywhere at all times, so it would seem that finding Him shouldn’t be difficult. And, really, it isn’t, but it does require the investment of our time. He reveals Himself to us through His word and visits us in times of prayer. When we spend time learning of Him and making ourselves familiar with His character, we become more aware of His presence and can better recognize Him in our surroundings. He is not elusive, playing some game of hide and seek to see how long it takes for us to find Him, nor does He wait until the perfect moment of convenience to decide to respond to us. God shows up for the heart that seeks Him.
Psalm 84:2 / ESV
My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.
Matthew 5:6 / ESV
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
I Chronicles 16:11 / ESV
Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!
John 6:35 / ESV
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”
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