Someone said yesterday that they’d been speaking to an African Christian who pointed out that when we say things like “we’re so lucky” and “God has given us so much” that is an incredibly materialistic view of the world.
And this morning that set me thinking about how much God has given us spiritually: how nourished we are. And I thought: not a lot. I’m not necessarily trying to blame God here, although I’m not necessarily trying to absolve him completely either.
What is it like to starve? It’s a distasteful analogy I know, but think about it for a minute: how serious is our situation? Do we believe that we can’t live on bread alone? Someone who is starving is hardly able to move – they are paralysed, unbearably tired, dry and aching. How do you feel when you go to church?
I feel like we’re starving. Not metaphorically, but actually. I think we’re struggling on as if just going through all of the stuff will somehow give us our life back. But it doesn’t. We find a scrap here or there, and we hang on to it – we remember what it felt like to eat and drink from our creator, but it gets used up and we’re dry again, and the shades come down.
And I prayed this morning, and I’ll do it again now, that God will change this situation. Please God, feed us and cloth us, pick us up from the dust and let us feel your touch. We are weak, and the knowledge of your son is not enough – we need to feel him with us, healing us.
Although there are many ways we block you from us – and we renounce them now – I know we can’t fix this. Only you can, and we beg you to give us just a little of you.
Where are your promises? Where is the abundant life you promised?
Today I want to say not “O God thank you for giving me so much,” but “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” I beg you, take pity on me, on us.
“Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One.”
Just lately I have been looking through 1 Corinthians on weak and strong and rich and poor. Its really interesting to see what strands Paul picks up. I wonder whether in our feelings of drought we get closer to God and shine most brightly for him.
1 Cor v 28
God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important.
Let’s hope we are able to feel our drought then. Most of the time I think we’re in a drought but don’t notice.
Thanks for this article. I think I’m starving in two slightly different ways: one, I feel starved and weak and discouraged spiritually, and know it only too well; two, I’m much more starved than I realise, and don’t cry out to God in hunger in the way that would be sane to do.
I totally relate to what you’ve just said. Vaguely connected to this is the sermon I heard yesterday about the exodus, and how sometimes God has to bring us to the point of desperation before we’re prepared to go where He wants us to, and how we often pray for slight changes to our situation to relieve our problems, rather than wanting a radical solution, or something.
I wish I was paying God more attention, so it didn’t take desperation to move me to run to Him. He’s shown His gracious caring for me SO much recently.
I’ve found that when you have gone without for long enough you don’t feel hungry anymore. In fact, you realise you don’t need to eat.
Hmm I hadn’t thought about this from your perspective darkly. Personally after a drought of about 2 years once I was nearly broken.
I wonder if this is what some people who suffer with anorexia feel like?