Are You Hungry?

I recently had some friends for dinner; part of the conversation from that night has stayed with me for weeks. Our dinner guests included a young couple from church and a friend from Togo, Africa who is visiting the states for a few months. 

Usually a lighthearted and fun person, our Togolese friend somberly asked us at one point, “Have you ever been hungry?” Much of the conversation had centered on a comparison of our two cultures so we knew he didn’t mean the kind of hunger that comes from eating lunch a couple of hours past your normal time. No, we quietly answered; none of the four of us had ever been hungry.

In Togo, as in much of Africa, my friend doesn’t know where or when his next meal will be available. He recognizes that God provides their food, he is thankful, and he and his family eat all of it. I’m guessing they rarely complain about what food is available. In my home, as in much of America, we have a pantry, a refrigerator, and a deep freeze full of food. The only thing I wonder about the next meal is whether I should cook it or eat out. Although my daughters often say they are staarrrrving, we never know true hunger as we eat our three meals a day and graze on snacks in between.

A few days ago that young couple was at our house again, along with two other couples from church. We were discussing the first chapter of the Old Testament book of Joel and saw within its verses how a nation with abundance can come to ruin without warning. (Please note I believe this is a prophecy for Israel, not the United States. I do believe, however, that the same thing could happen in our country and for the same reasons.)

As we discussed Joel 1, I remembered our Togolese friend’s question from a few weeks earlier. I brought it up and our friends who had visited both nights said they had thought of that question many times, perhaps daily, in the weeks since their previous visit. This time, though, I considered his question in light of spiritual, rather than physical, hunger.

The American church is comfortable and complacent. I wonder if this is because our spiritual culture is much like our food culture.

Do we pop into church on Sunday morning as nonchalantly as we pop into Applebee’s afterwards? Would it make a difference if we didn’t know when or where we would have another opportunity for corporate worship and Biblical teaching? Would we then recognize the blessing of gathering with fellow believers?

Do we graze on Christian radio, 200 word devotional booklets, and a verse of the day on our computer desktop? At the end of the day, is this constant snacking why we are still spiritually hungry and in need of heartier food?

Just as moms often make separate meals for the picky palates of each of their children, have we forced our churches to cater to our pickiness by providing children’s church for the little ones, youth group for the teenagers, separate women’s ministries and men’s ministries for the adults and even a separate group for the older adults? If only one meal was available, would we come together to learn and grow as a family? If we did so, would it increase our unity and understanding of one another?

What if when we came together as a spiritual family, we had to eat everything on our plate? If one scant meal was all we had for the day, would we eat all of it, even the hard parts that might not taste so good instead of scraping them down the garbage disposal?

Are we so accustomed to the three point sermon of a trained minister, much like a three course meal from a culinary chef, that we feel our own story is inadequate, comparable to a peanut butter & jelly sandwich? Wouldn’t a spiritually starving world savor a true and simple pb&j?

Freedom of religion, corporate worship, trained teachers, daily tools, Christian radio, and everything else I have referenced in this article are blessings I use and enjoy. I just pray they never become enough on their own. 

I pray I always hunger to know Him and make Him known.