Blessed Are the Hungry
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”
-Matthew 5:6
-Matthew 5:6
Several weeks after Chance’s funeral, a sweet friend from church stopped me when she spotted me across the church aisle. “I want you to know I have been praying for you. Specifically, I have been praying that God would reveal to you the purpose in Chance’s life.” With that one simple sentence, her prayer became my prayer too. I had never thought to pray this prayer, but in that moment, it sounded so profound. And it sure sounded like a good way to turn this tragedy back to truth.
So I would pray day after day after day, “God, please reveal to me the unique purpose in Chance’s short life. Show me. Make it known the purpose in what currently feels like constant pain. Give some meaning to this, Father.”
I was overwhelmed and some days overtaken by the reality of our experience, and I learned quickly that amidst all my racing thoughts, I also had to ask the Father to clear my mind and my head, in order to make space for His answer. This was key in my ability to listen.
Sarah Young writes in Jesus Today, “Your racing thoughts make it hard to hear My gentle whisper” (2012). She pairs this thought with a powerful verse in 1 Kings: “After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper” (1 Kings 19:12).
My earthquake had come. The fire had blazed. But, in that moment, the day my friend stopped me at church, I was sitting in that space, the aftermath of the storm, where I could choose to focus on the gentle whispers of the Father. I kept praying and searching and asking and listening. And over time, I heard His reply.
“Jesus.”
I found purpose in Chance’s short life and stillbirth and burial through the sweet reminder of the promise of Jesus. The promise of heaven. The promise that there is so much more to life than the day-to-day grind that so easily bogs down my heart and my head. There is so much more than what I see with my eyes.
“When you think of Chance, may you always think of Me. When the world hears of Chance, may they always be reminded of Me. When you hunger, when you ache for your son and the pain feels unbearable, may you in turn, ache for Me, your Creator. May you always hunger for more of Me.”
Such a tender answer from a tender God.
Although I don’t believe God wanted Chance to die, I do believe He allowed it to happen for His glory. His greater purposes. For the pointing back to His Son. To fill a hunger that only Christ can fill.
And while this belief does not remove suffering or instantly heal the hurt, it does redeem it.
My prayer for those reading this, for those of you going through your own personal earthquake or blazing fire or wilderness journey, is that you can find purpose in the pain. That you can clear your mind and still your heart to hear the Lord’s sweet, gentle whispers. That you can look at your circumstance through eyes focused on the cross. And that the Lord will grant grace and peace by redeeming your suffering and covering it with meaning.
So to our Father, we join hands and say, “Enter our hurts, Lord. Redeem each and every one. Breathe fresh perspective into our hearts that are aching today. Instill hope where there is none. Permeate the calloused areas. Give us Your gentle whispers. Break down walls erected out of pride or bitterness or anger or utter sadness and despair. Show us purpose. Fill our deep hunger pangs. Point us to Jesus. Redeem our suffering.”
Are you pleading with God to redeem your suffering and to help you see purpose in the pain?
Whatever your hurt, whatever cross you are carrying today, lay it down at His feet and ask boldly, in His name, that He replace despair with hope and clouded vision with fresh eyes to see His handiwork. That He fill your hunger as only He can fill. And that He uses your deep sorrow to make you more like Himself.
- Brittnie
Hope Mom to Baby A and Chance Michael
Brittnie lives in Sugar Land, Texas and enjoys writing on her blog and other outlets, baking, lingering coffee dates, and soaking in moments with her family. She is a wife to Brandon and a mom to Clara, Camille, and Hope Mom to Baby A (Clara’s twin) and Chance. Psalm 62:1-2 is her go to verse when she needs quick encouragement. She is author of Desert Song, and you can visit with Brittnie at her personal blog, A Joy Renewed, where she shares her faith and family, and encourages her readers to claim joy despite circumstance.
Are you a writer who would like to join the blog team? Learn more and apply here.
Got something to say?