Crave

Psalm 63:1 GNT O God, you are my God, and I long for you. My whole being desires you; like a dry, worn-out, and waterless land, my soul is thirsty for you.

It’s universal…..we have all experienced it. You enter the movie theater, and the aroma of hot, buttery popcorn hits you, or the smell of fresh cinnamon rolls as you walk through the airport, or freshly roasted coffee as you stroll down the street. These smells can ignite powerful cravings that are almost impossible to dismiss.

God created us to crave. Jesus promised, “Blessed, joyful, and completely nourished are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled” (Matthew 5:6 AMP). The Greek word for hunger is peinaō and means a passionate craving. What would happen if you started listening to your cravings instead of trying to silence them?

Hunger and thirst are intense physical desires and a natural sign of life and healthiness. What is often the first thing that happens when someone gets sick? They lose their appetite and desire to eat. If you ask any athlete what fuels their success, they will tell you that what they eat and when they eat it is as important as the training itself. We will never successfully “run the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1) while spiritual starving ourselves. So, what are you craving…..peace, joy, family unity, provision, connection with others? God is inviting us to find everything we need in him. “Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty” (John 6:35).”

David said it this way, “O taste and see that the Lord is good, blessed is everyone who puts their hope in Him” (Psalm 34:8). Unlike eating physical food, whenever you feed on God’s Word, you get even hungrier. The more you taste and see how good God is, the more you want and the more satisfied you become. “You feed them from the abundance of your own house, letting them drink from your river of delights” (Psalms 36:8). God designed us with spiritual hunger and thirst; and He desires to fulfill them. Psalm 37:4 proclaims, “Find your satisfaction, delight, and true pleasure in the Lord, and he will give you what you desire the most.”

We often describe a highly motivated, ambitious person as ‘hungry’. David described that kind of desperation and determination, “O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole-body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water. I have seen you in your sanctuary and gazed upon your power and glory. Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I praise you! I will praise you as long as I live, lifting up my hands to you in prayer. You satisfy me more than the richest feast. I will praise you with songs of joy.” (Psalms 63:1-5 NLT).

Luke tells a powerful story of Jesus appearing to his disciples after the crucifixion as they walked to the city of Emmaus. The disciples did not recognize Him but invited him to stay and have dinner. “When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him for who he was.” (Luke 24:30-31). When we sit at the Lord’s table, allowing our life’s cravings to be fulfilled, our eyes are opened to all that Christ is and all that He died to provide to us. From which table are you eating? What well are you drinking from? There is only one place where all of life’s cravings will be satisfied.

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Gary and Sandy Anthony

Psalms 42:1 NLT As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God.

1 Peter 2:2-3 NIV Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

Psalm 143:6 GNT I lift up my hands to you in prayer; like dry and parched ground my soul is thirsty for you. 

Psalms 119:131-132 NLT I pant with expectation, longing for your commands. Come and show me your mercy, as you do for all who love your name.

Isaiah 26:8-9 NIV Yes, Lord, walking in all the ways of your commands, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts. My soul yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you.

Psalms 84:1-2 NLT How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of Heaven’s Armies. I long, yes, I faint with longing to enter the courts of the Lord. With my whole being, body and soul, I will shout joyfully to the living God.

Matthew 6:33 NLT Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

Psalms 91:1-2 NLT Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him.

Revelation 7:16-17 GNT Never again will they hunger or thirst; neither sun nor any scorching heat will burn them, because the Lamb, who is in the center of the throne, will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of life-giving water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

Psalms 5:1-3 NLT O Lord, hear me as I pray; pay attention to my groaning. Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for I pray to no one but you. Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly.

Isaiah 41:17-20 TPT I, Yahweh, will respond to the cry of the poor and needy when they are thirsty and their tongues are parched with thirst! When they seek a drink of water but there is none, I, the God of Israel, will not abandon them. I will open up refreshing streams on the barren hills and springing fountains in the valleys. I will make the desert a pleasant pool and the dry land springs of water. I will plant in the treeless desert cedars and acacias, myrtle and olive trees. I will set in the wilderness evergreens, together with many elms and cypresses. Everyone will see and know that I, Yahweh, with my mighty hands have done this. They will consider and comprehend that the Holy One of Israel has created it.

Proverbs 8:17 TPT I will show my love to those who passionately love me. For they will search and search continually until they find me.

Psalms 119:81 NIV My soul faints with longing for your salvation, but I have put my hope in your word.

Psalms 27:4 TPT Here’s the one thing I crave from Yahweh, the one thing I seek above all else: I want to live with him every moment in his house, beholding the marvelous beauty of Yahweh, filled with awe, delighting in his glory and grace. I want to contemplate in his temple.