Devotional of the week: Hunger Satisfied (2 in Luke 4 series)

Jesus Tempted in the Wilderness (Jésus tenté dans le désert) by James Tissot – Online Collection of Brooklyn Museum

Jesus ate nothing all that time and became very hungry. (Luke 4:2)

When I refrain from eating, I can become snappy and irritable. A little hunger in my belly can turn my mood sour. Add some tiredness and I can morph into someone you’d best avoid.

I like this little verse tucked in the story – that Jesus became very hungry. Though he must’ve been radiating love after spending time alone with his Father, he still felt the pangs of an empty stomach. And yet he doesn’t fall prey to the foul moods I can feel when I miss only a meal.

Paying attention to the needs of our bodies and eating properly will help us control our physical hunger. But sometimes our spiritual or emotional pangs turn our eating into an act of seeking comfort. We stuff ourselves mindlessly with sweet or salty concoctions in the quest to quell the unmet needs inside. (Or some other kind of self-soothing behavior, whether it be drinking, shopping, workaholism…)

And yet Jesus wants to meet all of those needs. He said later, when teaching the crowds who sought him out after he fed the thousands, that he is the bread of life, and that all who eat of him will never go hungry (John 6:35). This day, may we ask him to be our bread, satisfying our hunger that we might live for him.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you that you dwell in your followers. May your presence bring comfort, hope, and love, that we might reach out to a needy world. Amen.