God Wants You Hungry!

Do you want more of God but feel like nothing is changing? God fills people who are hungry and empty before Him, and He won't fill a space you have already packed with other things. He isn't the icing on top of an otherwise good life. He wants to fill the whole thing.

Why doesn't God feel close when I want Him to?

Often it is because your life is already full of other things. God isn't going to fill a space you have already filled. The way to make room for God is to clear out what is taking up the space that belongs to Him.

The weekend message behind this Beyond Sunday episode used a wedding cake to make the point. Picture someone proposing and saying, "I have 85 percent of my life figured out. Will you complete the rest?" Nobody wants to be a small add-on to someone else's plan. Jesus won't fit into a life that only wants Him for one corner. He is Lord, and He wants the throne of your heart.

On Beyond Sunday, Pastor Sean Sloan and Pastor Adrian Cruz added that you need this as much as God wants it. If you aren't giving Him everything, you aren't really giving Him anything.

What does it mean to hunger and thirst for righteousness?

It means wanting God more than anything else, and Jesus promises that people who do will be filled.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Matthew 5:6

God goes where He is welcomed, and He fills vessels that are open and hungry. Jesus gave His whole life for you. Paul says the fitting response is to offer your whole self back to God as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1). And what He fills you with is always better than what you would have chosen.

What does the wedding at Cana teach about being filled?

It teaches that God fills empty vessels all the way, and that He shows up when your best isn't enough.

At the wedding in Cana, the wine ran out. The family had done their best, and their resources couldn't meet the need. In that culture, it could have been an embarrassment in front of the whole community.

Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water"; so they filled them to the brim.

John 2:7

Notice that the jars were empty. Nobody mixed a little of their own wine with His. They were filled to the brim, and Jesus turned the water into wine. If you only hand God part of your life, you miss what He wants to do with the whole of it.

Where does God show up in your life?

God shows up in the gaps. One is the gap between what you expected and what you are living. Another is between what you need and what you have. A third is between the holiness you pursue and the brokenness of the world you live in.

Pastor Sean was careful to say this isn't the "God of the gaps" idea. The "God of the gaps" is a view of God as only the explanation for whatever science can't explain yet. It leaves less room for God the more we learn. What he means is that every day there is a gap to cross from your way to His way. Every day you bring Him an empty vessel to fill.

Often your plan B is God's plan A. At Cana, a shortfall became Jesus' first miracle and a sign of who He is. Even Jesus' family line includes messy stories, and God included them on purpose. He is with you in life as it really is, not only when it looks the way you think it should.

What does "taste and see that the Lord is good" mean?

It means you know God's goodness by experiencing Him, not only by learning about Him. You can't know a cake is good by looking at it. You have to taste it.

Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.

Psalm 34:8

David wrote Psalm 34 after he escaped a king by pretending to be insane (1 Samuel 21). He was running for his life, and the place he ran to for safety turned into a threat. God protected him through the strangest of means. Out of that, David wrote that God is good and a refuge.

The same psalm is full of promises for hungry people:

• "The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit" (Psalm 34:18).
• "The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing" (Psalm 34:10).
• "The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them" (Psalm 34:7).

God's goodness can be tasted even in the bitter parts of life. He can provide wine at a wedding, wisdom in danger, and protection when everything else is falling apart.

Are you a fan of Jesus or a follower?

A fan knows about Jesus. A follower knows Him and invites Him into everyday life. The difference is how close you let Him get.

Pastor Adrian, Calvary's youth pastor, explains it to students with a football game. Thousands of people in the stands cheer for the team, but the players on the field know each other. Don't be content to come to church, sing, and go home without ever inviting Jesus into your commute, your meals, or your hard conversations.

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

Revelation 3:20

Everything else you use to fill your life eventually runs out. God never runs out of Himself. When you make Him first, you can be filled with Him and find out for yourself that He really is good.

Common questions

What does it mean to hunger and thirst for righteousness?

It means wanting God more than anything else and making room for Him in your life. In Matthew 5:6, Jesus promised that people who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled.

What does "taste and see that the Lord is good" mean?

It means knowing God by experience, not only by information. David wrote Psalm 34 while running for his life, and he still found God to be good and a refuge.

What is the meaning of Jesus turning water into wine?

It was Jesus' first sign, recorded in John 2. He met a real need when people's best was not enough, and the miracle pointed to who He is and what He came to do.

How do I make room for God in a busy life?

Start by identifying what is filling the space that belongs to God, and set it aside. Then invite Jesus into ordinary moments of your day, not only Sunday mornings.