Will You Come Sit at the Table With Me?

When Hunger Makes Us Dramatic

When my oldest son was younger, he was home alone one day while his dad had already left for work. At some point, he got hungry and started digging through the kitchen cabinets looking for something to eat. Apparently, nothing in the house met his standards, because he decided to call his grandfather.

When his Pa answered the phone, my son said in the most serious voice imaginable, “Pa, I am starving to death! If you don’t bring me something to eat soon, you’re going to read about me in the paper.”

Now, I can promise you he was in absolutely no danger of starving to death. Lol! He was being just a tiny bit dramatic.

I have a friend who says he is “perishing” when he gets hungry. That might actually be a better word. Hunger has a way of making us feel desperate, even when we know logically we will be eating soon.

But that little story made me think about something deeper.

We Feed Our Bodies Without Thinking About It

Most of us eat several times a day. Some people eat once or twice, others eat three meals a day, and many of us sneak in a snack or two along the way. And if we are honest, we don’t always eat because we are truly hungry.

Sometimes we eat because we are bored.
Sometimes we eat because we are stressed.
Sometimes we eat simply because someone else is eating and it looks good.

Have you ever opened the refrigerator or pantry and just stood there staring inside? I have – more times than I like to admit.

Sometimes I catch myself doing that and realize I am not actually hungry at all. I am just looking for something to fill a feeling I can’t quite name.

But What About Feeding Your Spirit?

All that thinking about food got me wondering about something else. If we feed our bodies every single day, how often are we feeding our spirit?

How often do we go to the Lord in prayer?
How often do we open our Bible?
How often do we listen to a sermon, attend church, or talk about our faith with someone else?

If we fed our bodies the same way we feed our spirit, would we be healthy? Or would we be perishing?

The Bible talks about spiritual hunger over and over again. And it reminds us that the food we truly need does not come from our kitchen.

John 6:35 (NIV)
³⁵ Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

Deuteronomy 8:3 (NIV)
³ He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.

Matthew 5:6 (NIV)
⁶ Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Those verses all point to the same truth. Our souls need nourishment just as much as our bodies do.

What Are You Feeding Your Soul?

When our physical body is hungry, we feel it. Our stomachs growl, our energy drops, and we know it is time to eat. Then we make a choice.

We can feed our bodies something healthy that satisfies us, or we can grab junk food that tastes good for a moment but leaves us hungry again an hour later.

Our spiritual life works in much the same way.

I really believe that deep down, every one of us is craving a connection with God, even if we don’t realize that’s what we’re feeling.

We might feel lonely even when we are surrounded by people.
We might feel a quiet ache inside that we cannot quite explain. Instead of turning to God, many people try to fill that emptiness with other things.

Sometimes it is relationships that are unhealthy.
Sometimes it is distractions that keep our minds busy.
Sometimes it is habits that dull the pain for a little while but leave us feeling worse later.

Those things might bring temporary comfort, but they never truly satisfy. Psalm 63:1 describes it perfectly.
Our souls thirst for God the same way a dry land thirsts for water.

Psalms 63:1 (NIV)
¹ You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.

There Is Always a Seat at the Table

I don’t know what kind of hunger you might be feeling today. Maybe you feel spiritually strong and close to the Lord. Or maybe you feel tired, distant, or unsure where you even stand with Him.

If you are struggling, I understand more than you might think.

I am not sitting here as someone who has everything figured out. I am still a growing, learning believer myself. Some days my faith feels strong, and other days I realize I haven’t spent nearly enough time with the Lord.

But here is what I do know. God always invites us back to the table, and there is always a seat waiting.

The good news is that none of us has to keep feeling empty when the Bread of Life is already waiting for us.

To GOD Goes The Glory!

Have A Blessed Day!

Let’s End With a Prayer

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for reminding us that our souls need nourishment just as much as our bodies do. So often we rush through our days filling our time, our schedules, and even our stomachs, but we forget to come to You. Help us to recognize the hunger in our hearts that only You can satisfy.

Draw us closer to You through Your Word, through prayer, and through the quiet moments when we stop long enough to listen. Fill us with a desire to seek You daily and remind us that there is always a seat at Your table.

Lord, thank You for being the Bread of Life that truly satisfies.

In Jesus’ name,
Amen.