When you're feeling spiritually sluggish: Two ways to increase your hunger for God.

The sky is brilliant blue and the sun so warm and I slide down into my lounge chair on the deck — just for a moment — to soak up some rays. My book, The Pursuit of God rests beside me, closed. I’ve assigned it to my mentoring group, given them each a copy, so excited for them to discover its riches, the wealth of spiritual wisdom within its pages. I plan to re-read it, be refreshed again by its truths, pull out some nuggets for discussion, ask God again to work it into my life. But today the sun is so warm.

Maybe I don’t need to read it again. I mean, I’ve read it like a dozen times, and how many perfect days like this do we get? I’ll just rest here for a bit…

After a bit I rise, thirsty. Return with icy lemonade, a bowl of fresh bing cherries. I eye the book, or rather it eyes me, watches me as I plop juicy cherries in my mouth. Sip lemonade, revel in the taste of summer. Soon the bowl and glass are empty. I fill them both, return.  The sun is warm and the kids are resting in their beds.  I’m suddenly so sleepy. I’ll just rest my eyes for a bit…

There’s a reason they call them the lazy days of summer.  I really want to do nothing but eat cherries and lounge in this chair and if someone could clean my house while I sleep that’d be even better.

But what’s lovely as a lazy afternoon is ugly when it’s a lifestyle. And so often I don’t feel like studying Galatians or praying for my mentoring girls or drafting up a blogpost or doing my daily Bible reading. And sometimes I think it’d sure be nice to just coast for awhile.

And the book eyes me again and this morning’s Proverb pops into my head.

“A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.” Proverbs 24:33

This doesn’t apply literally since I don’t actually get paid for doing any of my jobs, but there is no mistaking the principle: Just a little spiritual slumber, a little spiritual folding of the hands to rest and spiritual poverty comes upon us and robs our spiritual vitality.

My eyes pop open. I reach for the book. Before I’ve even finished the forward that fire is aflame again in my heart. That hunger. How could I get get so spiritually sluggish?

Tozer’s words ring loud in my heart:

“I rejoice to acknowledge there are some … [who] with tears will hunt some lonely place and pray, “O God, show me thy glory.” They want to taste, to touch with their hearts, to see with their inner eyes the wonder that is God.

I want deliberately to encourage this mighty longing after God. The lack of it has brought us to our present low estate. The stuff and wooden quality about our religious lives is a result of our lack of holy desire. Complacency is a deadly foe of all spiritual growth. Acute desire must be present or there will be no manifestation of Christ to His people. He waits to be wanted” (p. 17).

Oh yes! But what do we do when we don’t desire Him? How do we slip from the shackles of spiritual sluggishness to want Him again? How do we grow in hunger?

The physical realm gives us a clue.

There are two ways to get hungry.

Decrease intake or increase activity.

By decreasing your intake (calories) you will naturally be more hungry.  By increasing your activity (exercise) you burn more and will be more hungry.

The reason most of us don’t greatly desire God is that we’re so glutted with everything else. We have so much. I’m stuffed with cherries and lemonade (and every physical comfort I could ever desire) so there’s not much pushing me toward the Lover of my Soul. One way to increase our desire for God is to willingly go without some of the other things that satiate our souls.

The second way is to increase activity.

All I really had to do was pick up the book and read. Sometimes that’s all it takes. Pick up the Bible. Pray for 2 minutes. Go to church. Read the book. Do some spiritual exercise and you’re sure to increase your hunger for God.

The more we get of Him the more we want — our appetite increases because we taste and see that the Lord is good (Ps. 34:8). Do whatever it takes to hunger after Him! Even if it means forgoing the bowl of cherries for a feast upon His Word…

{Have you tasted of God’s goodness today? Thank you, as always, for reading…}