Friday, January 17

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My soul is consumed with longing for your rules at all times.

—Psalm 119:20, esv

Real hunger is a powerful motivator. It can cause otherwise law-abiding citizens to take great risks or cross lines they never imagined they would. Most of us have never experienced the kind of empty stomach that would propel someone to steal, sell something illegal, or denigrate themselves in some way, but we can try to imagine that kind of desperation.

As human beings, we are born with an innate desire to live, and as a result, we are hardwired to find fuel for our bodies. And if lives are at stake, people can become single-minded in their drive to find sustenance for themselves and the ones they love.

But what about spiritual hunger? Might there be some similar compulsion or drive to keep our souls fed?

Psalm 119:20 talks about being “consumed with longing” for God’s Word. This description of intense, single-minded longing brings to mind the desperation for physical food.

Jesus echoes a similar idea in his famous Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled” (Matthew 5:6).

This verse implies that for followers of God, seeking righteousness is not just a nice addition to our closet full of spiritual accessories. It’s not something that shows up halfway down our to-list that we may get to if we have time. No, it’s something as vital to our souls as food and drink are to our bodies.

And if we find ourselves lacking in this area, then like a person who is starving, we need to acquire a single-minded focus to make sure we get the sustenance our souls need.

Almost a thousand years ago, a baby by the name of Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone was born to a wealthy Italian silk merchant. As he grew up, he experienced all the perks that went along with money and privilege and family connections. But after he was given a vision from God, he lost his taste for the ways of the world and instead chose a life of poverty—committing to care for the poor, preaching on the streets, and devoting himself to Christ’s work.

We know him better today as Francis of Assisi.

Francis was committed to living a humble, unassuming life of righteousness, modeled after the life of Christ. He is quoted as saying, “We have been called to heal wounds, to unite what has fallen apart, and to bring home those who have lost their way.” 

He had learned what the psalmist knew to be true: when you acquire a taste for the righteous ways of God, everything else in life doesn’t come close to measuring up.

As Francis was on his deathbed, he requested that Psalm 140 be read to him. The chapter ends with these words:

I know that the Lord secures justice for the poor
    and upholds the cause of the needy.
Surely the righteous will praise your name,
    and the upright will live in your presence.

—Psalm 140:12-13

Francis died the way he had lived: hungering and thirsting for righteousness.

What is one way you can hunger for what is right today?

—Stephanie Rische