“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” Matthew 5:6
Restlessness and Longing
As a father of two small children, I often learn about myself by watching them. My five year old loves to play games that are simple and silly. I can make almost any voice and pretend to be almost any character to her amusement and laughter. In fact, the sillier the better. These simple little games bring great joy to her as even the slightest change from her day to day is exciting and entertaining. My son who is turning twelve in a month is quite different. He has outgrown silly voices and childish games; however he does long for attention and speaks of boredom often. So my son gravitates towards constant entertainment. Whether it be his Xbox, jumping on the trampoline, or riding his bike, there doesn’t seem to be a moment where he is still. In fact, he gets very restless and hungers for more and greater entertainment to keep his mind satisfied.
I tend to challenge my children often saying, “Life isn’t about being entertained” as if to say, the longing of your heart cannot be satisfied by constant entertainment. But if I’m honest with myself, I oftentimes find that this hunger, this restlessness is in my own heart. I find myself looking around at the things the Lord has given me and still wanting more. The silly games of my childhood no longer bring me joy. The home that my wife and I have after seven years is showing some serious wear and tear. The plentiful food I have in my pantry leaves me standing there staring at it thinking that none of it looks good to eat. The excitement of a new job quickly turns into hard labor with seemingly little return. The new toys I buy get boring in just a few weeks.
Why Is This?
In the words of C.S. Lewis, “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.” The more you ponder it, the more significant this becomes. Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, “He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.” You see, God has put this hunger in our hearts towards something the world cannot explain nor satisfy. And yet, from the very beginning with Adam and Eve, man began to look to the things of this world, rather than to God, to satisfy the longings of his heart.
Jesus Is the Fulfillment of That Longing
In our beatitude this week, the blessing Jesus pronounces is also an invitation, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” Jesus identifies a deeper hunger that we feel in our hearts, one that this world cannot satisfy. This hunger is the constant beckoning of God to remember that you were made for another world. In this beatitude, Jesus invites us to hunger and thirst for righteousness, to know and be like Him. The truth we need to understand is that it is not the desires of this world, but our hunger for righteousness which will truly satisfy our hearts desires.
By God’s grace, may we hunger and thirst for righteousness.