Hunger

This is the devotion I wrote for our church’s Lenten devotion book this year. It was for yesterday, the sixth Sunday in Lent and coincided with my sermon on the same text.

Luke 15:11-32 “But while he was still far off, his father saw him was filled with compassion…”

Our passage today is the well known story of the Prodigal Son; a story with a myriad of truths and challenges. Today let’s focus on the moment at which the lost son faces the reality of his situation.

It is hunger that brought him to his senses. Verse 17 tells us that the prodigal son finally faced the harsh reality of his situation when he was desperately hungry and could not find anything to satisfy his hunger. He had sunk to his lowest, knee deep in swine slop and waste and found himself wanting.

Our hunger for something more, something satisfying often wakes us up to the reality of how far we’ve wandered. Sometimes we have to find ourselves nose to snout in order to see the filth that is our life. Sometimes it is the gnawing hunger pains of our soul that force us to seek out true sustenance. 

In John 6:35, Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

During this journey during Lent, join me in paying attention to our hunger. What have you been feeding on that is not satisfying? Are we truly feasting on the Bread of Life or are we trying to placate our hunger with empty things? 

Let our hunger wake us up. The table is set. The invitation has been sent. The Meal has been provided. Return home to feast upon the Bread of Life.