Why does someone not have thirst and hunger for truth? First, because they do not yet have divine life within them. They belong to worldly people who do not know the truth. They only practice a religious life without truly understanding the truth. They feel content in a good environment, even though their lives are not yet as God desires them to be. Second, because they are experiencing spiritual lethargy, their spirituality is sick, so they do not feel thirsty and hungry for truth. There are still sins in their life that damage their relationship with God. Therefore, everyone must always examine themselves: why do they not have a thirst and hunger for truth?
When we live blameless and without fault, we certainly thirst and hunger for truth. But when we begin to like something—especially sin—our spiritual life becomes tasteless and paralyzed. Thirst for God begins when a person confesses their sins and mistakes, and God enlightens their heart, making them aware of even their small wrongs. Therefore, we must have the awareness of the prodigal son who realized his condition and returned to his father (Luke 15:17). In Luke 16, the rich man told Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water to cool his tongue. The water here is not merely physical, but a symbol of spiritual need.
Human spiritual thirst can only be answered by the Lord Jesus. He said to the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again; but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst” (John 4:13–14). Thirst for the Lord can be likened to someone who, the more they drink, the more they want to drink. The more someone meets with God, the greater their thirst becomes. God is a Person who can be enjoyed and loved. As someone’s love for God grows, they see an endless horizon in the Person of the Almighty God. This is experienced only by those who are truly thirsty and hungry for truth and long to live blameless and without fault.
When someone develops a need to thirst and hunger for truth, it means they long for a life that truly finds God. A person may have a definition of God, but without personal experience, it remains only a concept. Christians can preach or hear sermons about thirsting and hungering for truth, but whether they are truly thirsty and hungry is another matter. Therefore, believers must be bold in living as children of God: diligent in prayer, faithful in fellowship, listening to the pure Gospel, and living according to God’s will. These steps lay the foundation for a healthy spiritual life until a person truly thirsts for the Lord.
Like someone who falls in love, they will certainly have thirst and hunger in their soul for the one they love, so they can always be together. Deep love for God is an incomparable achievement in life. We may once have loved God because we wanted His power to support our lives. We made God a means to meet our needs. But in truth, God must be our only necessity in life. Our soul has only one goal: God alone.