Listen

“Happy are people who are hungry and thirsty for righteousness, because they will be fed until they are full.”

Matthew 5:6

Think

As a middle-class American raised on sports, being “hungry” has always reminded me of commitment and passion. I think of champions like Serena Williams and Kobe Bryant who were always pushing themselves to be greater in their pursuit of excellence.

But to most of the world, and to the first people who heard Jesus say these words, being hungry was not about a positive drive but about a desperate need. It was about a deficit, a lack. It was not the mark of a winner but of a loser.

Rather than criticize, however, Jesus asks us to consider what happiness God might offer to those who are in desperate need of righteousness or justice. This is not simply an invitation to care but to be consumed.

Do you ache for God to set things right, or is it just an occasional prayer?

Does your heart burn over the suffering in this world, or is it just a sporadic inconvenience?

For those who can no longer be pacified by crumbs and leftovers, God’s feast is coming.

Dave McNeely

Pray

God, thank you for your promises to provide for those who are desperate.

To the degree that my own provisions are met, help me to hunger and thirst more deeply that the wrongs of this world will be made right.

In Jesus’ name, amen.

Go

May God meet you in the margins
And find you in the cracks.
May God bless you in the wanting
And in everything you lack.
May God fill the empty spaces
And become your all in all.
May God lead you to the places
Where you’re the answer to God’s call.