Broken Into Beautiful-Post 4

Satisfy us in the morning with Your unfailing love,

that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.

-Psalm 90:14-

I have 3 small humans that wake up every morning and one of the first things they want to know is "what's for breakfast?".  (These same 3 small humans also expect me to feed them at least 2 additional times each day....such demanding children we are raising!).  A baby's first instinct, within minutes of birth, is to seek nourishment from its mother.  Feeding the hunger that is innate in us is one of the most basic and natural instincts we have.  We do not need to be taught that without satisfying this need for nourishment, eventually we will die.

It is the same with satisfying our spiritual hunger.

"And Jesus said to them, 'I am the bread of life.  H who comes to me shall never hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst'." -John 6:35

The only satisfying response to spiritual hunger is God.  "Nothing can supplant God if you want to satisfy your spiritual hunger." -Gwen Smith

Just like there are basic food groups to feed our bodies, there are basic "Faith Food Groups":

1. Prayer
2. Reading the Bible
3. Worship

Faith food needs to be a priority to me each and every day, just like physical food is.  Just like when I am physically hungry I tend to be cranky and short-tempered (I know...just try to imagine it for a moment!); when I am spiritually hungry, I am prone to discontentment.  When I lack spiritual nourishment I quickly become discontent with my home, my husband, my physical appearance, my children, my relationships, and the list could go on....and on....and on.  Connecting with my Heavenly Father each day is as vital to my spiritual health as breathing, eating, and drinking are to my physical health.

"The thief does not come except to steal, to kill, and to destroy.  I have come so that they ay have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." -John 10:10

There are times in my life when I need more than just my "daily bread".  Lately, I have been on a Faith Food Binge!  Some of the other times in my life that I have required Faith Food Supplements have been when we lost our Baby Sophie to miscarriage in November 2010, and more recently when both my husband and I lost our jobs in 2014 which has led to the loss of our home.  During this time the following scriptures have been instrumental to supplementing my daily Faith Food nourishment.

O God, You are my God;

Early will I seek You; 

My soul thirsts for You; 

My flesh longs for You

In a dry and thirsty land

Where there is no water.

So I have looked for you in the sanctuary,

To see Your power and Your glory.

Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,

My lips shall praise You.

Thus I will bless You while I live;

I will lift up my hands in Your name.

My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, 

And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.

When I remember You on my bed, 

I meditate on You in the night watches.

Because You have been my help, 

Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.

My soul follows close behind You; 

Your right hand upholds me.

-Psalm 63:1-8-

When I am going through a period of "malnourishment" due to my lack of Faith Food, I start to find myself trying to control situations by coming up with a solution on my own rather than trusting God to provide for the situation that He has orchestrated all along.  This not only causes enmity between myself and my Savior, but in my marriage as well.  The solution to this is a Faith Food Binge.  By studying His word, seeking godly counsel from my husband and others in my life, praying ceaselessly, and worshiping in community or in private, I am able to redirect my feet onto the path laid out by God.  So whenever I find myself in this situation of "straying" or "self-controlling" my solution is always very simple:

PRAY - LISTEN - OBEY

Blessings,

Meri