Hunger is one of the most powerful desires known to mankind. History has given us gruesome facts of what people will do when they are hungry. One of those is of the Donner party in 1846-47 when stranded in the Sierra Mountains, began to eat the flesh of those who had died because of starvation. Of the 81 people who started the trip, only 45 survived and were at a great cost. Hunger can and does bring people to a place of desperation. It’s a place where they will do the unthinkable to quench their hunger.
I would like to talk to you about another type of hunger and thirst. It is a hunger and thirst for God, His righteousness, and all He has given us. The psalmist David said it this way in Psalm 42:1–2, “As the deer pants for the water brooks, So my soul pants for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; When shall I come and appear before God?” David was in a difficult situation when He wrote this psalm. He was being chased by Saul, who was determined to kill him. Desperation will do one of two things; it will cause you to leave God, or it will cause you to run to Him. David had set in his heart that he would do the latter. He would run to God. Many people are in desperate situations. The world is getting more and more desperate. The media is spreading fear like never before. What is your response to it? I pray that you will set your heart to pursue God in your times of desperation.
Early this morning, I was awake and praying in the Spirit. I said this sentence to the Lord, “If we could just be like the past.” It no more than got out of my mouth, and I knew I was in a teaching moment. Holy Spirit said to me, “That’s your problem. You are seeking an experience instead of seeking God.” So many of us are believing and expecting revival. I actually believe we are in the end-time outpouring of the Holy Spirit right now. But our focus should not be on miracles, signs and wonders, and other experiences. I thank God for the awesome experiences I have had with Him. I’ve seen the dead raised and the lame walk. I have experienced the presence of God in such a way that I could sense it with my physical senses. I am not saying this is wrong or that those experiences were not real. We should never be looking and desiring experiences with God. We should desire God Himself, not what He does for or through us.
Our hunger and thirst should be for God. We need to get to know Him and not about Him. We need to hunger and thirst for His presence, not just His presents. When Jesus had His visit with the Samaritan woman at the well, He knew what she desired even before she did. He knew she was thirsty for Him. She thought she needed water. Many believers are in the same place today. They know they are in need. They think they need a new experience with God. They think they need a revival. What they really need is Jesus. When they know Him as the Baptizer in the Holy Spirit, then that will become a fact in their lives. When they know Him as their healer, then and only then will that become a fact. When they know Jesus as their deliverer, they are delivered. When they know Him as their provider, they receive their provision. We need to keep knowing Him as our desire, thirst, and hunger. Jesus pointed the woman at the well to Himself; all mankind needs to know Him.
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