Hunger for his presence – Part 2

Key Verse: Psalm 42:1, “As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God” (NLT)
Hunger is that gnawing ache on the inside of you; that sense of need that is not content until it is filled. Hunger is an active state, for it results in you seeking out the object of desire that will satisfy your need.

Hunger for God is the longing to encounter Him, to be with Him, and to be filled with His Spirit. When we are hungry for God and His Presence, we will do whatever it takes to get close to Him. The place of intimacy is where we will catch, not only the revelation He wants to give us, but also catch His heart.

Do you want to be filled with the Spirit, you long to be close to God and see miracles happen in people’s lives? If your answer is in the affirmative, then you have no option than to hunger for God’s presence. When we hunger and thirst for God, we will seek Him, and when we seek Him, we will be filled and empowered.

A closer and deeper walk with God all starts with hunger. Mathew 5:6 affirms, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” The real tragedy in the Church today is not spiritual famine; it is famine without hunger, dryness without thirst.

God will outdo Himself in our lives, career, ministry, occupation, profession, etc, if we shall hunger and seek His presence. On the last day of the great feast, Jesus cried out and said, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” (John 7:37-38)

Have you lost His Presence in your life, local church and ministry? If yes, you must pray for the return of God’s presence into your ministry and you shall be filled with God’s presence (Mathew 5:6).

We must recall God’s presence back to our lives as individuals and as a church. Jesus told the Ephesian church, ‘You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen’ (Rev 2:4-5). You can stir up a desire for God by remembering a time when you were pursuing God and experiencing intimacy in your life with Him. Do you have books that you read at that time, worship you listened to, or letters or journals that you read that stirred up God inside of you? These can be aids to help you recall what it felt like during that season.

Another way you can stir up God’s presence in your life is by being around people who are also hungry for God or people who are further on in the journey than you. Study their books; listen to their messages, read their blogs. Spiritual hunger is contagious.

You can stir up God’s Presence by being committed to personal devotion with Him. Sometimes, you may need to go on personal retreat, where you can give yourself to worship and prayer for spiritual renewal. WANTED! WANTED!! WANTED!!! Desperate seekers of His Presence.

Long ago, the psalmist wrote about hunger for God in what we now know as Psalm 42, verses 1 and 2: “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God” (NKJV). The type of desire he describes is the type every one of us should have. It’s not something unusual that is reserved for only a few impassioned souls.

The only impediment to spiritual hunger is sin and we must get rid of it in our lives, so that God will have His way in our lives.

PRAYER: Oh God stir up the spiritual hunger and thirst in me.

Prayer lines: 09078154261.
E-mail: evangelgospel@yahoo.com
Dr. Chidi Okoroafor, General Superintendent, Assemblies of God Nigeria.