God Hunger
A.W. Tozer's sermon 'God Hunger' explores the deep yearning for God and the spiritual fulfillment that comes from seeking Him.
A.W. Tozer speaks on the profound yearning for God that many of His children experience, describing it as a divine hunger and thirst for righteousness that can lead to pain. This hunger serves as a merciful reminder from God, urging believers to seek Him and find fulfillment in their spiritual lives. Tozer emphasizes that the very existence of this desire indicates the presence of spiritual life, as a dead soul lacks the capacity for such longing. He encourages listeners to view their unfulfilled aspirations as signs of hope, affirming that the desire for God is a testament to His presence in their lives.
Text
These words are addressed to those of God's children who have been pierced with the arrow of infinite desire, who yearn for God with a yearning that has overcome them, who long with a longing that has become pain.
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled" (Matthew 5:6). Hunger is a pain. It is God's merciful provision, a divinely sent stimulus to propel us in the direction of food. If food-hunger is a pain, thirst, which is water-hunger, is a hundredfold worse, and the more critical the need becomes within the living organism the more acute the pain. It is nature's last drastic effort to rouse the imperiled life to seek to renew itself.
A dead body feels no hunger and the dead soul knows not the pangs of holy desire. "If you want God," said the old saint, "you have already found Him." Our desire for fuller life is proof that some life must be there already. Our very dissatisfactions should encourage us, our yet unfulfilled aspirations should give us hope. "What I aspired to be, and was not, comforts me," wrote Browning with true spiritual insight. The dead heart cannot aspire.
Sermon Outline
- I points: - Understanding God Hunger - The Nature of Spiritual Desire - The Pain of Longing for God
- II points: - The Biblical Basis for Hunger - Matthew 5:6 and Its Implications - The Promise of Fulfillment
- III points: - The Role of Dissatisfaction in Spiritual Growth - Aspiration as Evidence of Life - The Contrast Between the Living and the Dead Heart
- IV points: - The Merciful Provision of God - Stimulus to Seek God - The Journey Toward Renewal
Key Quotes
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” — A.W. Tozer
“If you want God, you have already found Him.” — A.W. Tozer
“The dead heart cannot aspire.” — A.W. Tozer
Application Points
- Recognize your spiritual hunger as a sign of life and desire for God.
- Embrace your dissatisfaction as a motivation to seek a deeper relationship with Christ.
- Trust in God's promise that those who hunger for righteousness will be filled.