Spirit Hunger: Longing For God

Hiding, Controlling, and Mocha Lattes

Have you ever felt a gnawing inside, a tug of emotion that lingers with a sense of emptiness even though life seems full? Sometimes it grabs me at night when my mind finally settles after a full day; other times I wake with it — a hope that today will fulfill my heart’s desire for something I can’t quite name. This gnawing tug of possibility is our Spirit Hunger, the place inside us that longs to connect with God.

I wandered around for years wondering what that yearning was. Why I could achieve certain goals and still feel empty. Why I could be surrounded by people and still feel alone.

Even after falling head over heels in love with my Savior Jesus, that wrenching desire can still overtake me like waves crashing on a rocky beach.

After running from, numbing, ignoring, stuffing, and analyzing this desire till I’m blue in the face, I’ve come to recognize the hunger pains of my spirit — the way it woos me back to the true filling it desires, an authentic and continual dining with God.

Watch the Video for Session 1

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The tone in many of the psalms is that of desperation, yet often we find ourselves committed but not desperate.

We long for things that make us uniquely women: nurturing; affirmation; to be noticed and heard — but there is a longing at the core of women’s lives that bullies itself in front of all other longings: the longing to be in control.

This need for control came from the first woman, Eve. (Genesis 3:6)

What happened in the garden is referred to as a sin issue, but it was also a control issue.

Control has a muzzle. The muzzle to control is trust.

God taught women trust after their exodus from Egypt. In the wilderness they were only able to gather a day’s worth of what they needed to sustain their families. They had to trust that God would provide tomorrow what He had today.

Our spirits long to trust God, not control Him.

Study Questions

Discuss the following questions related to the video you just watched.

1. What’s the difference between a committed Christian and a desperate Christian?
2. Donald Miller, author of the book Blue like Jazz, says “The opposite of love is not hate; it’s control.” How does this definition change your view of control?
3. How were the events in the Garden of Eden not just a sin issue, but a control issue? (See Genesis 3:6.)
4. Gari mentioned the following descriptions in her list “How to Know If You Have Issues with Control.” Can you think of others to add to the list?
   • Won’t let anyone help in the kitchen or around the house, but then complains that if she doesn’t do the chores, they won’t be done right.
   • Uses nagging as a tool because if she doesn’t nag, people won’t budge.
   • Claims she wants a strong husband who leads, but criticizes when he tries to.
   • Exhausts herself trying to make everyone happy.
   • Tells other people how to drive, how to do things, and generally makes all the decisions and choices in the household.
5. How is trusting God a muzzle to control?
6. If our spirits long to trust God — not control Him — how can we let go of control and practice trust?

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Your Turn

Are you as convicted as we are? How would you answer the questions above? Come join the conversation on our blog! We’d love to hear some of your answers, comments, and thoughts. ~ FaithGateway Bible Study