Hunger Distracts Me

This morning, I sat down to have my devotion time. I did some reading, but before I could sit down to pray, my stomach rumbled and I followed it's call to breakfast. After I ate, I wrote this in my journal.

"I had to eat first, Lord. I'm sorry. My hunger distracted me. Isn't that true about everything? My hunger for the trivial keeps me from the important things. My hunger for ingesting music keeps my from spending my time practicing and becoming a better musician. My hunger for other people's stories keeps me from writing the stories that are in me. My hunger for stuff keeps me from using my finances wisely and moving forward. My hunger for leisure keeps me from working out consistently and being stronger physically. My plain, old, everyday hunger keeps me from sticking to my diet and being at the healthier weight I desire."

As I thought about those words, I did a search for the word, "hunger," and these are a few of the verses that came up.

Psalm 34:9-10 (ESV)

⁹ Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints,
    for those who fear him have no lack!
¹⁰ The young lions suffer want and hunger;
    but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

John 6: 26-35 (ESV)

 ²⁶ Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. ²⁷ Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal. "²⁹ Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” ³⁰ So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? ³¹ Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” ³² Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. ³³ For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” ³⁴ They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” ³⁵ Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

Matthew 5:6 (ESV)

⁶ “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied."

Philippians 4:11-13 (ESV)

 ¹¹ Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. ¹² I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. ¹³ I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Evidently I am not alone in this. The disciples were distracted and they had Jesus right there in front of them. Here's my prayer I wrote for today, maybe it will be yours.

"Father, I pray that I would seek to be filled by you. Forgive me when I seek other things first. When distractions of hunger come my way, may the filling of your Spirit overtake the hunger and put me back on track. Help me to remember that those who seek you lack no good thing. I pray that as I seek contentment in you, I would find that the stuff of this world would melt away and I would find the strength to be all the you desire me to be."