STAY HUNGRY, MY FRIENDS
PROVERBS 27:7 NKJV
7 A satisfied soul loathes the honeycomb,
But to a hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.
One of the keys to a successful diet is not being hungry. This is why appetite suppressants are helpful. If we are not hungry, we do not tend to eat as much. But when we are hungry, watch out. This is why going to the grocery store when hungry can blow a food budget. When we are hungry, everything looks good.
Our proverb for today uses food as a context. Honeycomb was the candy of that day. The honeycomb is sweet to the taste, and to people without sugar, it was quite the treat except when someone was full. When someone is abundantly full, they will refuse the honeycomb. The literal rendering is they will trample on the honeycomb. Regardless of how wonderful the honeycomb is to the one who is satisfied, it's a no-go.
But when someone is hungry. When someone is truly hungry, every bitter thing becomes sweet. I don't know if most of us experience hunger today as they did when Solomon penned the Proverbs. Obviously, there are millions in America who do not have enough to eat. I believe my father grew up and experienced poverty and hunger, and it impacted him.
Many of us today might miss a meal or two, but for the most part, our hunger is measured in hours, not days. But if you have ever fasted for a few days, the reality of hunger is revealed in a new light. And when we are hungry, everything tastes good.
So, where does this apply to our lives? I believe the application goes far beyond food. If someone is hungry for a relationship, they just have to have someone in their life; that's when mistakes can be made. The hunger to be accepted and loved can lead to people connecting with the wrong kind of people. To the hungry soul, every bitter thing becomes sweet. How many of us know people who got involved with someone who was toxic or even abusive because they were so hungry for a relationship?
Too much hunger in almost any area can lead to compromised decisions. I have made some bad buying decisions because I just had to have it.
But there is a good hunger. The hunger for God, to know Him and know His ways, is a good hunger. Someone hungry for God will listen to and enjoy sermons, read their Bible, fellowship with God's people, and pray. But someone who is satisfied with what the world has to offer is often uninterested in the things of God. They are full and just not hungry, so even the wonderful sweetness of God's Word is unappealing. When Mary, the mother of Jesus, spoke with her cousin Elizabeth, she said that God fills the hungry with good things. The rich, those that are already full, He sends away empty.
So stay spiritually hungry, my friends!
PRAYER
Lord, I stir up a hunger in my heart for You. I desire more of You in my life. What the world has to offer can never fill me as You can. I purpose to stay hungry!