Holy Longing - January 7
Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 103; PM Psalm 114, 115; Deut. 8:1-3; Col. 1:1-14; John 6:30-33,48-51
Today’s Reflection
We humans are, at heart, hungry and thirsty beings. Of course, we need food and drink—along with clean air to breathe and rest for our bodies and brains—for our physical survival. But we are hungry and thirsty for much more than that. We are always hungering and thirsting for something more than what we already have, and to be something more than what we already are.
Unfortunately, the forces of this world—which are forces of darkness, if you see the world in a spiritual way—twist our inherent hungering and thirsting in ways that are destructive to us in mind, body, and spirit. In our contemporary U.S. culture, companies take advantage of this sense of longing and convince us that our hunger will be satisfied and our thirst will be quenched by things that we can purchase with money. If we can just have better clothes, or a better car, or a better house, or better vacations—or a better image of who we are relative to other people and their respective things. It’s OK to have nice things—but what’s not OK is to get sucked into believing that these things will fulfill our sense of longing, our hungering and thirsting for something more.
I believe that God has placed in each one of us, as God’s dearly loved children, a holy longing for something more—something much more than what the things of this world can give, and a holy longing more than anything we can ever achieve for or give to ourselves. We hear the threads of this theme of our hunger and thirst being satisfied and quenched by God woven throughout today’s scripture readings. In our Old Testament reading from Deuteronomy 8, we are reminded that, “One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord” (Deut. 8:3b). And in our Gospel reading from John 7, we hear Jesus declare this: “‘Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water’” (John 7: 37-28).
Today’s readings acknowledge that God has placed within each one of us a holy sense of longing—a longing for something more than what could ever be fulfilled by the things of this world or by our own sense of accomplishment. In these passages of Holy Scripture, we find reassurance that God will meet our needs and give us a way to fulfill our inherent longing for something more. We hear that the way to begin to fill ourselves up with something deeper, something truer, something that will sustain us spiritually is to begin with these two things: the Word of God and the Spirit of God.
God has given us access to a sense of who God is, a sense of what is right and true, of what is meaningful, of love, mercy, and grace that will endure for ever. God has given us means by which we can tap into this source of living water and manna from heaven in our lives still today. How? By spending time with God through studying Holy Scripture. By reading and reflecting on other holy words by wise and holy people. By sharing in holy conversations with our fellow Christ followers. By finding time to listen for the Holy Spirit’s still small voice through setting aside time for silence and prayer. By getting outside of ourselves and our needs and focusing on the needs of others.
We have just begun the Season of Epiphany, the season in the church between the Season of Christmas and the Season of Lent. We shouldn’t discount the Epiphany season as just an interim period of ordinary time between more joyous or penitential liturgical seasons. Rather, let’s see the Season of Epiphany as a season to focus on seeking after Jesus, as the Magi did—a season of asking, “Where can we find Jesus?” in our daily lives, and helping others seek Jesus, too.
Just as Paul prayed for his friends in Colossae, this is my hope and prayer for us this day, as we begin this season of seeking something deeper, something truer in our lives as we seek to find and then follow Christ:
I pray that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God. –Colossians 1: 9-10
Becky+
Questions for Self-Reflection
Do you ever have a sense of holy longing, that God has placed in you a hunger and thirst for more than what the things and pursuits of this world can fulfill? When do you most sense this longing? What spiritual practices have you found that satisfy this longing for more, and redirect you toward bearing spiritual fruit you can share with others?
Daily Challenge
As we begin the new year, consider committing to a weekly formation group or outreach ministry as ways of deepening your faith and bearing good fruit.