SCRIPTURE
John 6:35 “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”
DEVOTION
We all know what it is to hunger – to feel that gnawing emptiness deep within our bellies. Hunger is a lack so real it cries out for immediate infilling, satisfaction, and relief.
The physical feeling of hunger alerts us to our deep and intrinsic need for sustenance. Without food, we aren’t nourished, and without nourishment, our bodies begin to shut down.
Without food, we perish.
Although the majority of us will never reach that depth of hunger, we all subconsciously know that we must eat in order to continue living. And so, we do what needs to be done to keep ourselves alive.
We know this to be true of our physical being, but I wonder how many of us know this to be true of our spiritual being?
Have we considered, dear friend, that our inner spiritual beings are hungry too?
Have we considered that there is an inner emptiness deep within us that longs intensely for infilling, satisfaction, and relief?
Have we considered that without this spiritual sustenance we will undoubtedly perish?
But what is it that we are hungering for? What do we desperately need in order to live?
In our passage today, Jesus makes it very clear. He said this to the crowds: “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”
Jesus identified Himself as the answer to our deep spiritual hunger, dear friend. He identified Himself as the sustenance we need for life itself! Best of all… He has promised that when we go to Him, we will most assuredly be filled!
Whether we realise it or not, Jesus is the one we all hunger for. And He is the one we are to feast on. He is the only one who can truly satisfy us.
Blaise Pascal, the French mathematician and theologian, said it like this: “There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator made known through Jesus.”
It’s so natural, but we tend to fill this God-shaped vacuum in our hearts with everything but God. Much of the time it’s because we don’t realise that what we need to fill that emptiness is God. And so, we fill it with relationships, possessions, power, status, money, and so much more.
We seek all the things that we think will satisfy us, but in reality we aren’t satisfied. So, we keep pursuing, and chasing, and seeking… but that deep emptiness never truly gets filled.
Until we seek to fill it with Jesus – until we seek to fill it with the Bread of Life.
Dear friend, there is nothing – no one – who can satisfy that deep hunger within us but God alone. Without Him, we aren’t nourished or satisfied. And without Him, we perish.
Today, the question for all of us is, do we know our need for the Bread of Life? And will we go to Him to be filled, to be satisfied, and to have life?
If you need prayer, please drop a prayer request in the Interseed Community.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
Is there anything that you run to to fill that emptiness inside of you rather than running to God?
Yes, entertainment like television, movies, or Youtube.
Yes, I seek out validation or affirmation from people around me.
Yes, I try to gain more success or money.
OTHER
PRAYER
Lord God,
I acknowledge today my deep need for You – and You alone. I know that there are other things that I run to to fill that void within me, rather than running to You. I repent for that, Lord.
Jesus, You said that You are the bread of life, and that whoever comes to You shall not hunger. Today, I come to You. I humbly ask that You fill me and satisfy me and give me relief.
In Your precious name, amen.
PRAYER POINTERS
Pray for someone you know who struggles with this. Pray that the Lord would open their eyes to see their inherent need for Him. Pray that they would run to God rather than anything else.
