Starvation

Intro

There are seasons in our life of following Jesus. Just like storms, seasons come and go without our permission. One of those seasons is a time of dryness and isolation, otherwise known as the “Wilderness” (This is sometimes called “The Wall” or a “Dark Night of the Soul”). In the wilderness we lose things that used to nourish us. We experience a loss of direction. We may feel like God is distant and silent. We may lose joy and satisfaction in the things that used to be life-giving. These seasons are no accident – they are from God. He intentionally leads us through the wilderness so that certain things within us can die - things like pride, greed, luxury, irritability, gluttony, envy, laziness, and others. Throughout the Bible we see many stories of people being led through the wilderness by God – sometimes literally and sometimes figuratively. In the wilderness we experience different things within us begin to die. God is using these little “deaths” to empty us in order to draw us into a deeper life in Him. In the wilderness, we are tested – will we be faithful and obedient in the middle of these losses? Sadly, many Christians fail this test – they turn back and never make it through the wilderness. Yet to become a mature man or woman in Christ, there is no other way.

In this series, we will explore four different kinds of death that God uses in the Wilderness to empty us so that we may be filled with Him.

Starvation

When you lose access to the things that used to feed your soul, or you simply don’t find them nourishing anymore – you feel desperate for comfort

Disillusionment

When the things you valued and admired are exposed as frauds or lose their importance – you feel disappointed and misled

Exposure

When your failures, limitations, and inadequacies come to the surface and can no longer be denied or covered – often this feels public and humiliating

Detachment

When you lose connection to the things that gave you meaning, identity, community, and purpose – you feel isolated and directionless

In each of these “deaths” God is crafting for us a deeper life in Him. Consider the reflections of Hezekiah, after coming out of such a wilderness,“Behold, it was for my welfare that I had great bitterness” (Isaiah 38:17a)

Starvation - “God will take your food away to bring you to His table”

When I first moved to Winchester, I lost the daily closeness of all my relationships

I would end my day feeling like I was in a social desert – cut off from the life-giving food of quality time with close friends

We’ve all, in one way or another, experienced seasons like this: being deprived of the things that used to feed and nourish us

We’ve all gone through a season when things that “filled our tank”, sustained or comforted us were either taken away or just stopped working

Things like work, hobbies, socializing, relaxation, etc.

Some of us have experienced times when it feels like God doesn’t talk the way He used to, or maybe He stops talking altogether

We don’t have the same experience or feeling in prayer, scripture study, or church

Starvation is a kind of “death” in that we lose things that were sustaining us

What is God doing in this? Why are we being starved of the things we relied on?

Deuteronomy 8:2-3 Remember that the Lord your God led you on the entire journey these forty years in the wilderness, so that he might humble you and test you to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. 3 He humbled you by letting you go hungry; then he gave you manna to eat, which you and your ancestors had not known, so that you might learn that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. (see also Luke 4:2-4)

In the Starvation, the Lord is drawing us to a deeper level of dependency on Him

God knows that the easy access to “lesser foods” distract us from feeding on the true food of His Spirit (symbolized by manna: “the food previously unknown to you”) ISAIAH 55:2 Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength? Why pay for food that does you no good? Listen to me, and you will eat what is good. You will enjoy the finest food.

God uses the loss of lesser things to help you realize how much more satisfying He is – Psalm 34:8 Taste and see that the Lord is good. How happy is the person who takes refuge in him!

When you are in a season of starvation, what should you do?

Desperately purse the Lord – But how do you do that?

Spend intentional quiet time in prayer alone – “shut the door”

Pay attention to what is happening in your soul – how is God using your hunger to invite you closer to Him?

Refuse to chase “quick meals” or “mirages in the desert”

In a moment when you would normally turn to a quick-fix, instead get alone and pray – “Lord, what are you wanting me to see?”

What would happen if we all learned to eat from God’s table?

We would become “all-weather” people who can survive in any environment by feeding off of God’s Spirit

Group Discussion Questions

Why does God even have a wilderness? Why does He work with us this way?

What could a wilderness look like in our modern lives? How do we experience “wildernesses” today?

In a season of starvation, what things have helped you keep your focus on God?

Devotional Questions for the Week

What do you turn to when you’re empty and alone?

What might you be doing that is extending your stay in the wilderness?

What “food” is God trying to take away from you?