How's Your Spiritual Appetite? - Protestant Caucus/Devotional

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied" (Matt. 5:6).

David was a man after God's own heart. In Psalm 63:1 he writes, "O God, Thou art my God; I shall seek Thee earnestly; my soul thirsts for Thee, my flesh yearns for Thee, in a dry and weary land where there is no water." He communed with God and knew the blessings of His sufficiency: "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. . . . He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness. . . . Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me" (Ps. 23:1-4). He endured unjust persecution for the Lord's sake: "Zeal for Thy house has consumed me, and the reproaches of those who reproach Thee have fallen on me" (Ps. 69:9).

David's zeal for God illustrates what Jesus meant when He said, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness" (Matt. 5:6). The words translated "hunger" and "thirst" speak of intense desire. They are present participles, which imply continuous action. The idea is paradoxical: the believer's continuous and intense desire for righteousness is continually satisfied by Christ.

J.N. Darby, an early leader of the Plymouth Brethren movement, said, "To be hungry is not enough; I must be really starving to know what is in [God's] heart towards me. When the prodigal son was hungry he went to feed upon husks, but when he was starving, he turned to his father" (quoted in Martyn Lloyd-Jones's Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, vol. 1, p. 81). When you have that kind of desperation, only God can satisfy it!

Does your desire for righteousness drive you to Christ for satisfaction? I pray that the words of the psalmist will be yours as well: "As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness" (Ps. 17:15, KJV).

Ask God to use the events of today to increase your hunger and thirst for righteousness. Look to Him in all things, knowing that He alone can satisfy.

Prayer For God’s Comfort And Strength In Times Of Need

Father, how I thank You that Jesus is my good Shepherd and is there to comfort and strengthen in times of suffering, sadness, pain and loss. Thank You, that Your rod and staff sustain and keep me, no matter what season of life I am passing through and no matter how difficult the times become.

I praise You Lord, for You are my strong tower, into Whose everlasting arm I flee for protection and safety, for You have pledged to uphold me with the right hand of Your righteousness. Thank You, that in the midst of suffering and distress, You have undertaken never to leave me nor forsake me, and when I face times of loneliness and isolation, Your promised grace is sufficient to carry me through.

Lord, I know that as Your child I am indeed blessed to be able to rest in You as my daily companion, my faithful comforter and my wise counsellor. Thank You for bringing me to this point in my life and for so patiently teaching me the lesson of Your never-failing faithfulness.

Use me I pray, to give like-comfort, companionship and counsel to other lonely and lost little lambs, who also need the strength of their good and faithful Shepherd. And continue I pray, to uphold and teach me more of Your comfort and strength, grace and love. In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen.

Source: https://prayer.knowing-jesus.com/search?q=Comfort

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