Are You Hungry?

“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.”

Psalm 139:23

It was my children’s first day of school. They were ready. All the school supplies were bought, neatly packed, and delivered to their classroom ready to be used. School uniforms, shoes, masks and hair bows were bought, washed, and ready to wear. Lunches were made, snacks packed, and water bottles filled. Backpacks were hanging, filled, and ready to be grabbed as they headed out the door. Everything was ready. All my lists were checked and my kids were excited to get to know their new teachers and play with their friends.

They rush out the door after those sweet first day of school pics and, as I walk into the house, I see our family dog Jasper, laying at the door, and it hits me that we are all alone. As you saw, I am a bona fide, full-fledged list maker. I like to stay busy, and I like to see tasks checked off. It makes me feel good about myself and makes me feel accomplished at the end of the day. Well, with all the planning for the kids and the last minute changes to school agendas due to Covid, I did not take time to fill my schedule after they left for school. I had nothing planned for my day.

I sat down and realized that all I’ve been thinking about for the past couple of weeks was how I was hungry for something. Something that was familiar to me. I couldn’t lay my finger on it at first. I searched for what I was hungry for. Was I hungry for me time? Was I hungry for date nights with my husband? Was I hungry for getting back to writing? Was I hungry for a clean house? What was causing this stir in me?

I had tried to fulfill my hunger with all those things. I sat in solitude, went on date nights, worked on my website and writing, cleaned the house, and even went to lunch with friends. Nothing satisfied this craving I had. As I sat in our empty and quiet house, it hit me like a ton of bricks, I was hungry for Jesus. My searching ended, I knew what I needed to do.

I have a confession to make, when my children are home and my house is noisy, I’m not good with sitting down with God. I immediately wake up and hit the ground running with what can I do for and with my kids that day. I forget about setting aside my agenda and making time for God. I fill my house, my actions, and my thoughts with my children, my animals, what my friends are saying, what the news tells me, and when my husband will be home for dinner. I looked around and realized my house did need a good clean out. The junk and trash had gotten so thick that I couldn’t see the beauty underneath it. I needed to throw out the fear of uncertainty, the anger that Covid was still here permeated our house with a rotten smell, the sadness that my children are growing too fast, the unforgiveness of past words, the disgusting fact that I put ordinary daily tasks over Jesus, they all needed to go. Instead of searching for something to masquerade them, I needed a backhoe to come and dig them out of my house and carry them away forever. I needed a restart with Jesus. I was at a place where I did not have time to feel guilty, ashamed, or embarrassed as I approached the throne of the One and Only Jesus Christ. I simply fell at His feet and pressed the refresh button.

“And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. Consider now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a house as the sanctuary. Be strong and do the work.”

1 Chronicles 28:9

Here, David was giving his son, Solomon, instructions on how to be the king that God called him to be. The first thing Solomon needed to do was to seek God and serve Him wholeheartedly. God had big plans for Solomon, he was to build the temple as a sacred dwelling place for the Lord. David tells Solomon that God knows His heart; not only does He know it but He wants to know it more by Solomon searching Him as well. A relationship grows stronger when both parties are willing to open up and learn more about each other. As we learn more about each other, we begin to know how to serve one another in love. This service becomes second nature in a strong relationship. Solomon was to have this relationship with the Lord so that he could do the work that was intended for him to do.

Seeking the Lord is the beginning of everything. Seeking does not have to be anything fancy, complicated, or elaborate. A simple meaning for the word seek is “to go to.” We seek the Lord when we go to Him, that’s it. Go to Him in prayer, go to His Word, go to Him in worship, however you find God’s presence is good with Him. We may seek Him when we have exhausted all other options, but He seeks us at all times. He is searching our hearts and knows our deepest darkest secrets. He knows when we’re happy, sad, confused, and angry. Ezekiel 34:15-16 says, “I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign Lord. I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice.” God gently seeks out His lost, precious sheep and brings them back in. I know that God was bringing me back to Him that morning. He was preparing my heart all those weeks when I was feeling a hunger for something. When I felt like something was missing in my life, something was simply out of place, He knew what it was, and He was patiently waiting on me to figure it out.

God has given me the job of building a firm foundation for my children. He has made me a momma and with that comes great responsibility. Building a house has to begin somewhere. It is not something that is done overnight. You have to get the ground ready and level, lay the foundation, build the walls and frame out the structure, place a roof over it, then insulate it so it is protected from the harsh elements, and finally fill it with everything that makes it a home for you. God called Solomon to build His temple, and God is calling us to build something for Him as well. What is God calling you to build in His name?

Seeking God and serving Him with a whole heart and a willing mind has to be the beginning. When we seek life before we seek Jesus everything falls apart. Our house is built on a slippery foundation that will not withstand the storms that will come our way. David tells Solomon to be strong and do the work. Boy, that sounds so simple, but we know the work is hard. It takes dedication, blood, sweat, and tears to live a life of seeking God. However, the more we run after Him the easier the work will be. God knows what we need before we even ask for it. He has everything prepared for us. He is ready for our weaknesses, our fears, our anxieties, our loneliness, and our guilt. He knows exactly what to do. When we start to fall off the train tracks, He’s there to put us back on a straight path.

After Solomon built the temple the Lord appeared to him and said, “I have heard the prayer and plea you have made before me; I have consecrated this temple which you have built, by putting my Name there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.” By seeking the Lord and walking with Him, we receive the reward of God always being with us. Our house will always have God’s eyes and heart in it. Whatever God is calling you to build, He will be with it and protect it forever. Maybe God is calling you to build a ministry of helping the homeless, or helping a friend through a grief process, or volunteering for a public school near you, or spreading His Word through your workplace. Whatever it is He is calling you to do, seek Him first wholeheartedly and you will find Him. I read a prayer this morning that summed up exactly what I needed, it said, “Please give me a soul that is on fire for You, a heart overflowing with love, and a mind set on things above.” That is exactly what we need as we seek Jesus each day of our lives.

Digging Deeper:

Read 1 Chronicles 28 (David’s plans for the temple) and 1 Kings 9 (after Solomon built the temple)

Are you hungry? What is missing from your daily walk with Jesus?

What is God calling you to build?

What is keeping you from building it on a firm foundation?