A Culture Of Hungers

Read: Matthew 5:3-12

God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied. Matthew 5:6

IN WORD

The Olympic athlete stood on the medal stand listening to his national anthem. Years of hard work and dedication were now being rewarded with gold and honor. Analysts could point to various reasons he won—his technique, his physical attributes, his perseverance—but there was one larger reason underlying them all. He won a medal because he had spent his life hungering for it.

To a very large degree, we will be defined and directed by our hungers in life. We are pointed in the direction of our desires. They motivate us, determine our focus, and keep us going when we’re tempted to lose heart. They turn our face toward a goal, and we generally grow in the direction we’re facing.

That’s why Jesus blesses us if we hunger and thirst for righteousness—or “rightness,” justice, and truth for ourselves and for the world. That’s the direction we will grow in. Unlike an Olympic athlete—or anyone else who desires something strongly and expends a lot of effort for it—we don’t get it by hard work. We must seek it and be persistent in our desire, and we must cooperate with God in His work in us and through us. But in a very real sense, this attribute can only be given. We hunger and thirst; He fills.

IN DEED

We’re different from an Olympic athlete in another regard too: We don’t have to worry about whether we will achieve the goal. That’s the promise of this Beatitude. Jesus doesn’t say those who hunger and thirst for justice, rightness, and truth might be filled, or may find success, or could possibly be rewarded. He says we will be filled. It’s definite. This goal is not beyond our reach because it’s up to Him, and everything is within His reach. For those of us who hunger for the right things, that’s extremely good news. The end of our search is not futility and frustration. The reward is fulfillment, and it’s inevitable. Our hungers drive us to exactly the right place.

ADDITIONAL READING: Psalm 107:9

It is a sure mark of grace to desire more.

ROBERT MURRAY M’CHEYNE