Finding Spiritual Hunger: The Art of Being Found
Engaging Urban Affinities - Part 6
By S. Crawley
Photo by Kevin Fitzgerald on Unsplash
The current series of articles offers a simple, yet open-ended pathway to engaging with urban villages and affinities:
Step 1: Start Where You Are
Step 2: Observe Social Networks
Step 3: Listen for Hunger
Step 4: Discern How to Serve
Step 3 - Listen for Hunger
In the last article we began talking about listening for Kingdom hunger.
By “Kingdom hunger” I mean the desire for God’s Kingdom to come in fullness - although people often wouldn’t use that language. Kingdom hunger can be either a general desire for wholeness - the desire for the world to be a better place where my family, my community and I can flourish - or explicitly spiritual hunger.
We briefly looked at why we can confidently expect there is hunger waiting to be discovered, and focussed specifically hunger for wholeness and how that can be expressed in an urban village.
In this article we will talk about looking for spiritual hunger.
By “spiritual hunger” I mean a desire that relates specifically to spiritual life. It might be a desire to know God, to walk with Him more closely, to understand the Bible, to grow spiritually, or a desire for greater inner peace or self-control.
How do we identify spiritual hunger in our urban village?
We can allow it to find us, and we can actively seek it out.
Let’s look at each of these.
Being Found By Spiritual Hunger
If religious tradition is at the centre of our lives, we will attract people hungry for religious tradition. If our religious community is at the centre of our lives, we will attract people hungry for religious community.
Neither of those things are bad, but God is inviting people into direct relationship with Him, so we want to find people who are hungry for that kind of a relationship with God.
The best way to find spiritual hunger is to be found BY spiritual hunger. That is, when people recognise that you are carrying something that their hearts are hungry for. They get a whiff of God, the aroma of Christ, and they lean in.
Sounds great, right? But how will spiritually hungry people be able to seek us out?
We've found the idea of "transparent spirituality" helpful. The idea is to live out our walk with God as if we had glass walls around it - a spiritual life that is visible to the outside world, where people can observe Who and What is at the centre of our lives.
This only works if our relationship with God is truly at the centre of our lives.
A relationship with the loving Father-King changes us. We live with peace and restedness, knowing we are secure in His love, that He values us and wants to include us in things He is doing. We don't have to fight for our rights or compete with others - our Father has us covered! We also have a freedom as we relate to Him, with a confidence that He will listen to us and He will take action in response to our prayer for the things He wants to do.
In practical terms, as we go about our daily lives we will spontaneously interact with our Father. Our ongoing journey of growth, challenges and the setbacks will naturally come up in conversation. We will offer to pray for and with people because we care about them, and we know that God cares about them. All this will be noticed by people who are hungry for authentic spirituality.
Deuteronomy 6:4-9 captures this picture. Moses and the Israelites were to be transparent in their spirituality. Their relationship with God, His commands and teaching were to be in every part of their lives - public, private, family, on their physical body, in their home, on the road. They were to be saturated in God's instruction and teaching as they went about life - witnesses to their community and to the peoples.
If we have a living relationship with Father God and we're finding ways to be authentic and transparent, spiritually hungry people will see Him and be drawn to Him. Spiritual hunger will find us.
Finding Spiritual Hunger
Apart from growing in authentic and transparent spirituality, what are some more proactive ways to find spiritual hunger in our urban village?
We can listen, be observant, and be curious.
1. Listen to God
The Holy Spirit knows exactly what is happening everywhere. He knows what's happening in the secret places of people's hearts and minds, and He knows who is responsive to His touches and prompting.
We want to be asking Him and listening: "Father, what are you doing here? Where is the hunger?"
2. Listen to People
Pay attention to the things people talk about. What comes up in conversation? What flows from their hearts? What topics and concerns emerge in their interaction with you and with each other?
3. Be Observant
As we engage in the urban village, look for physical clues of spiritual hunger and openness.
These come in many forms - perhaps a necklace with a cross, a tattoo design, or an altar next to a shop or house. Depending on your country and context, different clues will point to whether someone might be spiritually hungry.
4. Be Curious
Beyond listening and observing, we can be genuinely curious and actively ask questions that open up conversation.
Jesus was amazing at this. Bob Tiede counted "340 Questions Jesus Asked". Jesus' questions invited further conversation and exploration, getting people thinking and expressing what's in their hearts. We can do that too!
What people are passionate about? What do they want to change in their lives, community, or family? Have they had meaningful dreams recently?
These questions can help us uncover spiritual hunger in a community.
For Reflection
1. A Scripture - Matthew 5:13-16
What does this passage tell us about transparent spirituality? As disciples of Jesus, what is 'the light' that we carry?
2. A thoughtful question
Where in your daily routines do you see the most natural opportunities for transparent spirituality?
3. A possible application
Think of someone in your urban village who has shown hints of spiritual interest. What specific questions could you ask them this week to explore that hunger further?
Discipling the Urban Harvest provides practical insights and encouragement to walk with God in multiplying discipleship in an increasingly urban world - growing as children of the Father, serving the communities He has called us to, and discipling those hungry to know Him.