(This is the first in a series of bi-monthly articles I have been asked to write for Evangelicals Now)
How’s your appetite? It’s a question a doctor will often ask to try and work out if something is wrong with your health, because there is a direct correlation between a healthy appetite and a healthy body.
Generally speaking, a healthy appetite accompanies a healthy body, and sick people tend to have a diminished hunger. But that is not only true with physical appetites but with spiritual appetites as well.
In his first letter, Peter challenges us to “long for the pure spiritual milk” of God’s Word (1 Peter 2v2). “Long” could be translated as “crave”, and the comparison he makes is with “newborn infants”. It’s a powerful image, isn’t it? It’s the idea of a baby, literally just out of womb, taking their first gulps of air and desperately in need of nourishment. It’s a picture of all-consuming hunger and thirst, an appetite so intense and powerful that nothing else will satisfy.
Perhaps you recall those early days of your Christian life, with the newfound joy and accompanying desire to read and learn God’s Word, but those days seem a long way off. As you read this, you’re thinking to yourself, I’ve lost my appetite for Scripture and there’s nothing I can do about it; it’s just the way it is.
Friend, let me lovingly say that that isn’t really acceptable in the eyes of God. What I called Peter’s challenge is actually a command. God commands us to long for His Word. He commands us to feel longings we do not feel and have desires we do not have. So, he must have some power we don’t have. There must be a way to obey even when I don’t feel like it.
I think there are two ways forward, or rather two parts of the same way forward. First, we cry to God. “Lord, I confess I have no real appetite for your precious Word but it would please you if I did, so please create in me a new appetite for your Word.”
But remembering that there is some truth in the phrase that God helps those who help themselves, there is also something we can do. When I was in pastoral ministry in the inner city of London, many years ago, we had involvement in the lives of several young women dealing with eating disorders. I remember some of the practical advice they were given at the time of ways they could help rebuild a healthy approach to food. I don’t claim any medical knowledge here, but there are parallels for increasing our spiritual appetite.
1. Eat small meals more frequently. There’s nothing essentially spiritual about sitting for one hour reading your Bible. Try breaking that down into small periods of, say, 15 minutes at a time and perhaps building up to four 15-minute sessions a day
2. Eat nutrient-rich foods. Notice how Peter says we are to long for “the pure spiritual milk”. Obviously, God’s Word is as pure as it gets, but you can also supplement it by reading good spiritual material and avoiding that which is impure.
3. Schedule meal times. Don’t wait until you feel like feeding on God’s Word. Make time for it. Discipline yourself. Set apart chunks of time, however long, and keep them.
4. Don’t skip breakfast. I am reliably informed that skipping breakfast can lead you to eat less throughout the day, which is the opposite of what you want. Apparently, breakfast helps increase the body’s thermogenesis effect, making you burn more calories throughout the day and this can increase your appetite. So, if you’re trying to increase your appetite, having breakfast every day is as important as having regular meals throughout the day. Why not apply that to your spiritual diet? Make it your resolve to let the Word of God be the first thing you read in the morning and also the last thing you read at night.
5. Exercise more. Spiritually speaking, look for practical and specific ways to put into practice what you are feeding on, and talk to others about what you’re reading and hearing and learning. Meet up with a friend on a regular basis and stimulate one another’s appetites.