Hungry ? Be Still !

Mothers have this unique ability to precisely figure out when you have just disobeyed, no matter how well you try to cover up and put up a “I have no idea what you are talking about” face ! Phew !!

If you drive down to my house, just round the corner is this fast food stall, which according to me, is the best place in town for a particular variety of fried item which I shall leave unnamed. Now we know that all junk food, however tasty it might be is unhealthy. But somehow each time I cross that stretch, there is this sense of deep urge to quickly grab a plate and relish it, even though there are strict orders from my mom to avoid it. And the moment I step inside home, she figures it out and I have no idea how !

Whether you agree or not, each of us have our own hungers – physical, emotional and spiritual. We are designed and wired in such a way that till that hunger is satisfied we can’t move on to things of higher purposes. In the secular world this is explained by “Maslow’s Theory of Needs”. Dig into the scriptures and you will find that Jesus takes this further and links hunger and thirst to righteousness [Matt 5:6]. We are restless till we find “that which will” satisfy that deep hunger in us. Most often we go to any means to gratify that need, knowing full and well that the things the world offers to fulfill that hunger is deadly and harmful.

Maybe it’s that sinful habit that you indulge in, or it’s that addiction to work which is eating away into your relationships at home, or it could even be your obsession to excel more and more, to climb up the corporate ladder, or to keep working harder driven by the greed to make more money. 

Jack Higgins, the famous author, recognized for “The Eagle has landed” was asked, “What do you now know, which you wished you had known much earlier in life”. He replied, “I wish I had known then, that when you get to the top, there is nothing there !” The loneliest moment in life is when you have just experienced that which you thought will give you the ultimate pleasure and it has let you down.

You need to recognize that our hungers remain unsatisfied when we fill it with worldly food. Only God can fill that deepest longing in our hearts and in-turn our hungers. The great theologian, Augustine, once said, “Our hearts are restless until we find our rest in thee”

So today would you stop and be still, and allow God to fill the hunger in you ? 

"...He satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's" 

Psalm 103:5

Busy ? Be Still !

Jumping from meeting to meeting, scheduled back to back; Keeping track of updates almost every other minute; working with a constant pressure to perform well; this has pretty much been life in the last one year. In the midst of all this I realized how my priorities got mixed up and I let slip away the more important or rather the most important thing !

In-spite of the busy weekdays God has enabled me to serve in ministry work among young people in different parts of the country. Often my weekends are more packed and busy than the weekdays. Before long I realized how I was facing a burn-out and that there was something missing, until I came across this very familiar scripture passage that each of us would have read many times – Jesus visiting Mary and Martha.

The fact that Mary chose to “Be still” sitting at Jesus’ feet, forgetting about all the other seemingly important work that kept Martha busy, earned her the approval of Jesus. We need to understand that waiting in God’s presence to hear from Him, to be sensitive to His voice, is far more important than all the worldly things that seem to fight for our attention.

I found that when I dedicated the best part of the day, first thing in the morning, to spend time alone with God, it not only strengthened and prepared me for the day but also enriched the whole day. Things seem to automatically fall in place when priorities were set right. As a child of God we need to honor Him with our time.

Martin Luther, when once asked what his plans, for the following day were, answered: “Work, work, from early until late. In fact, I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.”

If anyone was busy, it was Martin Luther. That guy was leading a spiritual revolution! He was preaching, writing, pastoring, translating the Bible into German, being a dad, and being a husband. He was incredibly, overwhelmingly busy. His calendar was always full. And yet, in spite of his incredible workload, he found it absolutely necessary to pray. He had to meet with God before he met with the cares of the day. He would not dive into his day without first being refreshed by the Lord. He knew that he couldn’t serve the Lord well without first asking God for help.

Would you chose to meet God and “Be Still” in His presence everyday ?