Starving in America?

Are you kidding? Well, maybe not around here. I'm sure there are some skinny folks up North in some cities somewhere starving. We still have a thriving church that will feed the hungry homeless all across this land. We have welfare that gives people off brand this, that, & the other to feed them.
We often say "I'm starving!" before a meal, but we're really not. We really have probably never even known hunger, in the truest definition of the word. "Jesus fasted for forty days, and AFTERWARD he hungered." That is hunger, that is starving. When your body uses up all it's fat & starts working on muscle. I've read books on fasting & they say your body will first use up all the junk stored. Just like a person who is trapped in a secluded mountain cabin in a snowstorm. For firewood, first he'll use up the junk around the house. The broken chair that never got glued, ect, whatever can be scraped up for fuel for firewood. I seriously doubt if you have a computer reading this, you've experienced true hunger.
Or maybe you have?
How about spiritual hunger? "Blessed are those who hunger & thirst for righteousness." I experienced this growing up. I didn't go to church, but I did have Bible class in school. The seed of the gospel was thrown upon my heart for many years & watered by many people. I always knew I wanted to be a Christian & even prayed the magic formula prayer once when I was in high school, but it didn't work like the girls who told me about it said it was supposed to. Sadly, it didn't for them either. Another few years went by and as a simple fool, I followed the path the culture laid out for me. This amassed great stains upon my conscience. Satan will always take you further than you'll want to go & I was there. My life was a mess & I hungered & had great thirst for righteousness. Irresistible Grace lead me to the fountain of cleansing. I was completely filled.
Now there is a new hunger. "It is my bread to do your will, Oh God."
I sometimes feel I'm starving in this way, in my day to day tasks. I hope I'm not a stumbling block to the lost in my household, the Lord has given me a lot of grace to grow in patience & love with my children. The Lord has been kind to answer my heartfelt cries of "Please don't let me be a walking disaster today!" Those days are fewer & more far between than they have been in the past, all glory to God. Maybe, hopefully, I'm doing His will with them, I can't tell.
Don't you ever just have this gnawing, a longing for big things of God to happen, to be a part of God doing something big here on earth with us... not for our glory, but to meet with Him here in a big way? I often feel some days I go hungry. Our dear pastor said last Sunday an analogy of the will of the Father being like the smell of fresh bread to the Son; he longed for it. I've thought of that all week. His will, my bread. How I long for it, how much will I get this week? Am I a vessel of wood and clay, or gold or silver? Will I be used for noble purposes or ignoble? I know it is self-centered, but it sure does feel great to be on the wheel of the Master Potter, to be used of Him, to have His glory flow through you for eternal purposes.
The Lord blessed me with a loaf this week. The Lord opened my mouth to be able to not stumble around the subject of God with my dear lost brother. He says he is so open to God, he believes in Him, & is thankful for the many blessings he receives. For the first time I think ever, I was able to clearly present the gospel (as opposed to botching it most of our lives.) He said he knew he probably had wrong ideas of God, but he just hoped God would look over them & see what was in his heart. My dear brother, a six foot two inch, three hundred pound teddy bear who makes little old ladies walk on the other side of the street when they see him coming. I got tough. I prayed he wouldn't be offended, but that he would see his need to be adopted into the kingdom. I told him he needed to be born again, a son of God whose heart will cry, "Abba!" and the compass of his heart would be set on Jesus. His good acts or no good acts don't count, all that counts is having your sins washed by the blood of the Lamb and being a son.
I told him how amazing it is to be in our church of good religious people who've gone to church all their lives, yet still see a need to be cleansed from their sin. I told him of our pastor who went to church his whole life, aspired to be a great man of God, was going to seminary to be a pastor for goodness sake, and was still found to lacking in the righteousness it takes to be a Christian. I told him even one sin separates us from God. Our pastor realized he did what he did out of pride, for his glory, not God's glory (which is I guess why God calls those who jump over the wall thieves, those who do not go in by the Gate.) He was converted & now lives his life for the Father's will. It will never cease to amaze me when good church people realize their sins and feel the need for the Savior. There is such a difference in being religiously good & having a relationship with Christ.
Oh, it was so exciting to be used, for God to open my mute mouth, to taste fresh bread again.
May we not starve in America, but John 4:34
"My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish His work.