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HUNGRY, ANGRY, LONELY, TIRED, STRESSED, BORED
Introduction:
A trigger is something that causes you to act out with unwanted behaviour. There are various ways that that people act out, but before they do they feel triggered.
In this series, each letter will have a message dedicated to it where we will explore that trigger.
Hungry:
Ever felt hangry? Jacob is chilling at home, trying a new recipe that he found on Masterchef, when suddenly his brother bursts into the tent and shouts that he wants some stew. Jacob looks up at him and offers a trade, some food for Esau's birthright. As the firstborn son, he would inherit the majority of his father's assets, but also a special blessing. Esau scoffs and says, “I am about to die, what use is a birthright to me?” (Genesis 25:32).
If you were set to inherit $10 000 000.00, but one day decided to sell it for a Happy Meal instead, people would say that you are crazy. Yet we do that every time we allow hunger to rule over us. We exchange the blessing of God, for temporary pleasure.
Manna in the desert
The Israelites have been freed from their slavery in Egypt. Knowing that there isn't enough food in the Desert to sustain them, God gives manna daily (manna means “what is it?”). Every day there was enough for them to gather to get them through that day (except for the day before the Sabbath, when 2 days worth of food would be collected).
Numbers 11:5 “In Egypt we used to eat all the fish we wanted, and it cost us nothing. Remember the cucumbers, the watermelons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic we had?” GNB
The fact that God was performing a miracle every day for them to have food in a place where they would have starved, was not enough for them. They complained because they wanted meat. Later in the chapter we see how God brought quail and a plague upon them. When the quail arrived, they went wild and collected way more than they needed. Demanding sensual pleasures can create unnecessary problems.
Read Psalm 78 for a commentary of what happened.
A warning from Proverbs
Proverbs 23:21 “Drunkards and gluttons will be reduced to poverty. If all you do is eat and sleep, you will soon be wearing rags.” GNB
Food is meant for nourishment, not to rule our lives.
Fasting for 40 days
In Luke 3 Jesus was baptised by John the Baptist and immediately sets off to spend 40 days in the desert. He became hungry. Let us pause for a second, 40 days without food. How would we feel after a week without food? Hungry would not begin to explain my emotional condition at that point. In verse 3 the devil invites Jesus to turn a stone into bread. Jesus did many miracles and He certainly did have the power to do this, but why doesn't He? At any point of the 40 days He could have made food appear, but He didn't. The devil wasn't just asking Jesus to turn stone into bread, he was asking Him to prove that He was God and to use his divine power for his own advantage. Instead Jesus answers, “It is written…” (verse 4). Countering the plan of the devil with scripture. Not bowing down to the devil. He was dependent on God's will and provision, not on his own power.
Seek first the kingdom
Matthew 6:31 “So don't worry, saying ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ ” CSB
Jesus doesn't say that we don't need to eat, rather in verse 33 He encourages us to “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you” (CSB).
What are your priorities in life? Do you ask God to lead you, are you interested in his kingdom - or are you living for the sensual pleasures of this world?
“Comfort food”
Eating to feel better isn't a new development. For many, chocolate or ice cream is what they turn to during emotional distress. God wants us to turn to Him and to go through our hardships with Him by our side, not try to drown our sorrows in Rocky Road.
In closing
1 Corinthians 10:31 “Well, whatever you do, whether you eat or drink, do it all for God's glory” GNB
This is what it boils down to. Food should not rule our lives, it is also dangerous to turn to food for comfort.