(Matthew 5:6 NASB) “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.”
Cultivating a Hunger for God
Jesus takes something as ordinary as hunger and thirst and uses it to reveal a deeper reality: the journey of spiritual hunger. Just as our bodies send clear signals when we need food, our spirits also let us know when we’re longing for more. When we’re spiritually hungry, there’s a deep craving for something beyond ourselves. And just like eating until we’re full brings a sense of satisfaction, we can also reach a place where we’ve grown content spiritually. It’s really that simple—we’re either hungry or satisfied. But when we realize our hunger has faded, we must be willing to ask God to reignite it within us.
(Matthew 7:7-11 NASB) “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or what person is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf of bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? 11 So if you, despite being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”
Those who are truly hungry for God will go to great lengths to experience more of Him. Out of desperation, they step outside their comfort zones, doing things they normally wouldn’t—because their confidence isn’t in themselves but in God’s promise:
(James 4:8 NASB) “Come close to God, and He will come close to you”
One way to cultivate a deeper hunger for God is by embracing a fasted lifestyle—regularly setting aside meals or other comforts to focus on seeking Him. Pursuing God with all our hearts isn’t in vain—He promises that those who seek Him will find Him!
(Psalm 42:1-2 NASB) “As the deer pants for the water brooks, So my soul pants for You, God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; When shall I come and appear before God?”
(Jeremiah 29:13-14 NASB) “And you will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. 14 I will let Myself be found by you,’ declares the Lord...”
If you’re hungry for God—or if you want to be—find others who are hungry and do what they do. Spiritually hungry people refuse to live in:
Unsanctified isolation – withdrawing from godly community
Unsanctified idleness – lacking intentional pursuit of God
Unsanctified independence – resisting spiritual accountability
Instead, they commit to:
Fellowship – surrounding themselves with other hungry believers
Serving and feeding others – pouring out what they’ve received
Submitting to spiritual authority – walking in accountability as they pursue God
Who you surround yourself with matters. It’s worth considering who’s shaping your hunger.
(Song of Songs 1:7-8 NASB) “Tell me, you whom my soul loves, Where do you pasture your flock, Where do you have it lie down at noon? For why should I be like one who veils herself Beside the flocks of your companions?”8 “If you yourself do not know, Most beautiful among women, Go out on the trail of the flock, And pasture your young goats By the tents of the shepherds.”
(Proverbs 13:20 NASB) “One who walks with wise people will be wise, But a companion of fools will suffer harm.”
Pursuing a Life of Righteousness
The Greek word for "righteousness" in this passage is dikaiosyne, which means "the state of one who is as they ought to be." It encompasses integrity, virtue, purity of life, uprightness, and correctness in thinking, feeling, and acting. It’s important to note that Jesus isn’t calling us to hunger and thirst for right standing with God—through His sacrifice, we have already been made right with Him. Instead, He is urging us to pursue a life that reflects the transformative power of His grace.
This pursuit requires discipline, integrity, and obedience—actively aligning our lives with His will. It means:
Seeking His kingdom first,
Enduring hardship while keeping faith,
Loving what He loves, and rejecting what He hates.
(Philippians 1:9-11 NASB) “And this I pray, that your love may overflow still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may discover the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and blameless for the day of Christ; 11 having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, for the glory and praise of God.”
(Hebrews 12:11 NASB) “For the moment, all discipline seems not to be pleasant, but painful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterward it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.”
The First Step: Repentance
The journey toward righteousness begins with repentance. True repentance happens when we come to a God-inspired awareness—recognizing where our ways oppose His and making the intentional choice to turn back. It’s more than a moment of regret; it’s a decisive shift in mindset and actions, realigning ourselves with God’s will. Repentance opens the door for righteousness to take root in our lives and allows God’s Kingdom to transform not only us but also the world around us.
(2 Timothy 2:24-26 NASB) “The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, skillful in teaching, patient when wronged, 25 with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, 26 and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.”
(Romans 6:13 NASB) “...do not go on presenting the parts of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those who are alive from the dead, and your body’s parts as instruments of righteousness for God.”
(James 4:6-10 NASB) “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit therefore to God. But resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come close to God and He will come close to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be miserable, and mourn, and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy into gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.”
(Matthew 4:17 NASB) “From that time Jesus began to preach and say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’”
Righteousness Requires Intentional Pursuit
Righteousness doesn’t happen by accident—it must be pursued. While God has already provided the ultimate sacrifice that justifies us, we are responsible for living in a way that reflects who we have become because of His grace.
There is an urgent need within the body of Christ to actively seek righteousness. When we become complacent, we naturally drift—chasing the wrong things and losing sight of God’s purpose. But when we hunger and thirst for righteousness, we step into the life God designed for us—one marked by His presence, power, and purpose.
(Matthew 6:33 NASB) “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you.”
The Promise of Satisfaction
God responds to spiritual hunger. The promise attached to this beatitude is satisfaction—meaning He will quench our thirst and fill our hunger. Living in agreement with God is not only something we can strive for; it is something He desires to freely give us.
(Psalm 107:9 NASB) “...He has satisfied the thirsty soul, And He has filled the hungry soul with what is good.”
(John 6:35 NASB) “Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life; the one who comes to Me will not be hungry, and the one who believes in Me will never be thirsty.’”
The mystery of spiritual hunger is that the more we taste of God’s righteousness, the deeper our hunger grows. Encountering His presence and goodness doesn’t lead to complacency—it awakens a longing for more. His greatness is unsearchable, meaning there is an eternal feast available to all who seek Him.
As we continually feast on the glory of God and His righteousness, we can live in a place of deep gratitude while never becoming fully satisfied—always longing for more of Him in the best possible way.
(Psalm 34:8 NASB) “Taste and see that the Lord is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!”
(Psalm 145:3 NASB) “Great is the Lord, and highly to be praised; And His greatness is unsearchable.”
(Philippians 3:12-15 NASB) “Not that I have already grasped it all or have already become perfect, but I press on if I may also take hold of that for which I was even taken hold of by Christ Jesus. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not regard myself as having taken hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Therefore, all who are mature, let’s have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that to you as well...”
Embracing the Actions of the Spiritually Hungry
I want to encourage you to embrace the actions of those who are truly hungry for God—fasting more, waking up earlier to seek Him, prioritizing prayer, and showing up with expectation for God to move. Cultivate a lifestyle of eager and expectant faith, allowing your hunger and thirst for righteousness to drive you toward Him with wholehearted pursuit.
As you seek righteousness, let this journey fill you with bold confidence to ascend the mountain of the Lord. Pursuing righteousness positions us to stand in God’s presence with assurance, knowing that He meets those who seek Him earnestly.
(Psalm 24:3-6 NASB) “Who may ascend onto the hill of the Lord? And who may stand in His holy place?One who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to dece it and has not sworn deceitfully.He will receive a blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation.This is the generation of those who seek Him, who seek Your face...”
(Proverbs 28:1 NASB) “The wicked flee when no one is pursuing, But the righteous are bold as a lion.”
(Hebrews 4:16 NASB) “Therefore let’s approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace for help at the time of our need.”
A Restless Pursuit of God
Throughout history, there have been those who refuse to settle for spiritual complacency—those who cry out for more of God and remind Him of His promises. Isaiah 62:6-7 paints a picture of watchmen who give God no rest until His purposes are fulfilled. This is the call for all who long for more of Him.
Yet, we battle against the mundane rhythms of life that can dull our hunger and weaken our pursuit. We must pray for an infusion of spiritual hunger—a holy restlessness that stirs us to seek God with greater urgency and persistence.
(Isaiah 62:6-7 NASB) “On your walls, Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen; All day and all night they will never keep silent. You who profess the Lord, take no rest for yourselves;And give Him no rest until He establishesAnd makes Jerusalem an object of praise on the earth.”
“You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.”– St. Augustine
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