Pastoral Letters

Why am I hungry?

November 4, 2018 Author:Rev (Dr) Andrew Tan
Will I starve to death if I do not have spiritual intake? To put it in another way, will I feel hungry if I do not read the Bible? Many do not think so. “How could it be? I have not read my Bible for two months and I am still alive.” But the Bible says that “not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the LORD” (Amos 8:11). Your stomach will not groan due lack of bread or rice. But the soul in you will groan due to lack of spiritual food. How so? Without God’s Word to restrain your sinful nature, your sinful nature in you will control your desires so that you feed your greed, lust, jealousy, hatred, bad temper, and all guises of sin. Without God’s Word to comfort you, you will have to depend on your frail human strength to handle the sorrows and sufferings that come from a broken marriage and family, unreasonable people, uncertainties in life, sickness and death. These sufferings cannot be solved by physical food and money. In fact, sometimes food and money are the causes of these problems: “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Tim 6:10).

Jesus urges us: “Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval” (John 6:27). Physical food is important. But we also need to be satisfied spiritually. The reason is that we have a soul that cannot be touched by the human hands. But do we have souls? Love can satisfy a human being even when that person is hungry or dying, that is, in the absence of physical things. This tells us that a certain part of a human being is receiving love which is not made of physical things. That part is our soul. The soul must be satisfied. Thus, we need spiritual food. In fact, Jesus, says that spiritual food is more important than physical food: “Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life” (John 6:27). The reason is that spiritual food can bring us eternal life. It can also truly satisfy us forever:

Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:13-14).

That is the reason why when a Christian is loved by Jesus, that person can still be happy even he or she remains unmarried or is rejected by people. This also explains why Christians experience an unmovable peace even in times of extreme persecution or suffering: “I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Jesus truly satisfies us. The words of Jesus, God’s Word truly satisfies us because it comforts us and directs us to walk in ways that are eternally blessed and safe.

Dear friend, are you in sorrow and facing uncertainties in life? Life will continue to be filled with sorrow and uncertainties. They will never go away from you. In fact, their power over you will reach a high point on the day of death. But Jesus can bring you true satisfaction even during such times. Come to Jesus today. Why should you delay? There is no benefit but only further hurts if you delay. Jesus says: “I have come that they may have life and have it to the full” (John 10:10).

Dear Christian, you must have an appetite for spiritual food, the Word of God: “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation” (1 Pet 2:2). You will starve silently until your inner world collapses if you do not eat spiritually. But you will be truly happy, even in times of great sorrow, if you earnestly seek God’s Word because God will satisfy you if you seek Him and His Word.