Hungering & Thirsting for Righteousness: A Call to Deep Longing

Introduction

In the midst of everyday life—jobs, family, screens, obligations—The voice of God still calls us to radical longing: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled” (Matt. 5:6, NKJV). This specific teaching of Jesus is not a passive invitation suggestion, but a passionate demand from Christ Himself! Our souls are meant to crave righteousness with the same intensity we crave food or water.

But what does it look like to live by that kind of spiritual appetite? How do we persevere in it when our hearts grow dull, or when the pressures and distractions of the life press in?

Hunger and Thirst as Metaphors

Hunger and thirst are some of the strongest natural drives we experience as humans. You can go days without food, maybe a few without water, but eventually the body demands fulfillment. Jesus uses this metaphor to show how essential and urgent our longing for righteousness should be.

Matthew’s version includes both hunger and thirst to intensify the metaphor. Some scholars suggest that thirst speaks of a more immediate, intense longing, while hunger may refer to an ongoing, sustained need.

What Is “Righteousness”?

“Righteousness” (Greek dikaiosynē) in this context is multi-dimensional. It may refer to:

1. Positional righteousness: the righteousness granted by God’s grace through faith in Christ (justification). (Ligonier Ministries)
   

2. Progressive righteousness: the sanctifying work of God within us, as we increasingly reflect Christ’s character. (Ligonier Ministries)
   

3. Social or communal righteousness: God’s justice expressed in relationships, community, and the transformation of systems around us. (Ligonier Ministries)
   

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus often emphasizes practical righteousness: integrity, mercy, purity of heart, peacemaking, love for enemies (Matthew 5–7). Thus, the hunger Jesus calls for is not simply an abstract ideal but a robust, lived righteousness deeply tied to loving others in a way that is powerfully draws the attention of others as "unnatural!"

The Promise: “They Shall Be Satisfied”

This Beatitude carries a striking promise: those who hunger and thirst for righteousness shall be filled.

• This satisfaction is ultimately a divine fulfillment—God Himself supplies what we lack (we do not produce it on our own).

• There is both a present and a future dimension. We can experience anticipatory fullness now—God’s presence, growth in holiness, communion in grace. But complete satisfaction awaits the day when we see Him face-to-face and are fully transformed.

• Jesus is promising that this longing won’t go unrewarded. The desire, if sincere, will find its perfect object.

Still, satisfaction doesn’t mean we arrive at perfection in this life. Rather, the promise is that God meets us in our longing and progressively fills us.

Encouragement & Challenge: Cultivating God-Hungering Hearts

1. Ask: What Do You Crave Most?

Too often, our hearts slumber over lesser desires—comfort, entertainment, approval, control. But Jesus calls us to evaluate where our deepest desires lie. Are we hungering for more of God’s rule, more holiness, more justice?

2. Engage in Spiritual Disciplines with Intention

• Scripture immersion: Let God’s Word shape your desires. The Psalms, prophets, and Gospels stoke longing for God’s righteousness.
  

• Prayer and lamentation: Pour out your soul, confess your longing, ask God to stoke your hunger and meet you.
  

• Fasting: The pangs of hunger can sharpen spiritual awareness. John Wesley and others practiced fasting as a way to awaken a deeper hunger for God.
  

• Worship and community: Fellowship with the spiritually hungry helps fuel one another’s longing.

  
  

• Serving in justice: Engage in acts that embody God’s righteousness—mercy, peacemaking, advocacy, care for the marginalized.

3. Persevere Through Dry Seasons

There will be times when your soul feels empty, distracted, apathetic, or discouraged. That doesn’t mean the hunger was false. It means you must press in—remember God’s promise, cling to grace, ask for renewal. The discipline of pursuing righteousness even when feelings lag builds endurance and character.

4. Live as a Sign to the World

To hunger and thirst for righteousness is also to long for God’s justice and redemption in society. It means we refuse to settle for injustice, oppression, falsehood, exploitation. Our lives become prophetic—pointing others to the coming kingdom of God (in which righteousness reigns). (Ligonier Ministries)

5. Embrace the “Already, Not Yet”

We live between the inaugurated kingdom and its final consummation. We are being transformed now, but not yet fully matured. Be patient and hopeful: the hunger is not futile, the promise is sure.

A Personal Appeal

Dear friend, if you’ve grown comfortable with lukewarm devotion, I challenge you to pray for Holy Spirit to stir your soul. Ask God to awaken a fresh longing—not for more entertainment, more knowledge, more comfort—but for righteousness.

Begin today: open Scripture not just to read, but to taste; pray not just to ask, but to groan; serve not just to fulfill duty, but to reflect God’s justice. Let your soul pant after God. Let that craving shape your choices, your priorities, your relationships.

Jesus promises: this hunger will not go unsatisfied. And those who press on in this longing will find deeper intimacy with the Father, deeper conformity to Christ, and a life of Kingdom impact in this world!

May God stir in you a hunger that no lesser thing can satisfy!