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Here at Live Salted, we cater to the hungry ones; the searching ones; the growing ones. We want to hold your arms up over the fight, just like Aaron and Hur did for Moses, until you see victory (Exodus 17:12). 

Hunger is a funny thing isn’t it? Sometimes it happens like clockwork, and other times it comes when you least expect. Hunger can be productive, or it can be debilitating; for example, I know that if I care for the lives of those around me, I probably shouldn’t drive hungry. Sometimes being hungry makes us creative, and we’re able to come up with amazing, spontaneous meals that hit the spot, but do you ever have those days where you’ve stood in your pantry surrounded by mountains of food and still the words, “there’s nothing to eat” crosses your lips? You can see the provision, you know logically that there’s something you can do with it, and yet you’re so blinded by hunger, fatigue, lethargy, apathy (the list could go on…) that you’re stuck. You know that there’s a more appropriate response to the situation you’re in than what you’re giving, but you don’t know how to give it – you need some help. How many of us know that that feeling isn’t just reserved for deciding what’s for dinner, but crops up in every area of our lives, and can sometimes seep into our praise? 

I’m currently in that place right now. I’m in a season of tremendous change (which is both exciting and terrifying) where I have very little idea of where I’m going or what exactly I’m going to be doing, and the only way I’m staying grounded is by embracing Jesus as my constant and my ever-present friend. Very quickly, I’ve had to learn that the only way I’m going to survive this life – with all of its twists, turns, surprises, and disappointments – is by knowing the nature of Jesus and forsaking everything else; I’m consciously laying down my ambition and my desire for success, influence and leadership, for material gain and instant gratification. I want Jesus to get the full reward of His suffering in me, but a life of reward is built upon a life of trust, and I can only trust Him if I feel like I truly know who this guy Jesus is. 

Psalm 139 caught my attention because it revealed the nature of God and then elicited a response in me to His thoughts and actions: it reminded me that even in the furthest, highest, and driest of places, God shows up for us, but it also reminded me that God’s provision isn’t the place our praises should end – it’s where it should begin. 

The psalm starts like this, “O LORD, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I am far away…You know everything that I do” (verse 1-3). David presents a God who is intimately involved with our lives even before we existed (verse 15); a God who has ordained every day and our actions within it (verse 16). I read this psalm and was humbled, but it was this that brought me to my knees:

I can never escape from your Spirit!

I can never get away from your presence!

If I go up to heaven, you are there;

if I go down to the grave, you are there.

If I ride the wings of the morning,

if I dwell by the farthest oceans,

even there your hand will guide me,

and your strength will support me.

(verse 7-10)

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Like seriously God, I can never escape your Spirit? Through every glorious high and gut-punching low, you promise to be there? When I look back at my past with a critical eye, when I let myself down, when I’m the proudest I’ve ever been, when I’m overflowing with joy, even there, you’re there? Wow. And I did absolutely nothing to deserve it. In fact, even if I had until the end of eternity, I’d never come close to giving you what you deserve. Lord, what can I give you to say thank you for these few lines, this short phrase; “even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me”?

Psalm 139 makes it evident how much God has given us and how well He knows us, and if our understanding of the psalm stopped there, I’m sure it would be enough for Him – I’ve read this psalm so many times and was grateful for God’s promise of intimate and steadfast love, and sometimes, on my braver days, I would echo David’s closing words, 

“Search me O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.” – Psalm 139: 23-24

God wants us to use this psalm as a compass that leads into a place of worship and adoration. Have you ever entered into the “even there” and bowed low before the King of Kings? How many times have we read these Words of Life, and took what we needed from it, without giving to Him what was rightfully His anyway; glory, honour and praise? 

I was reminded of Meshach, Shadrach and Abednego’s words before they were thrown into the fire, 

“If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us… but even if He doesn’t… we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up” – Daniel 3:17-18. 

Even there, these three men were willing to give God what was His, even if it meant giving Him their lives. And friends, that’s what I want to lead you into today: the “even there” and the “even if He doesn’t.” Regardless of where you are right now – heaven or the grave, the wings of the morning or the depths of the sea – the response is the same; Jesus, you’re beautiful. God, you’re worthy. Spirit, you can have it all. 

I read Psalm 139 and knew that I had to respond, I knew that I had the capacity to respond, but I just did not know how. And maybe you’ve read up to this point, and want to respond to God too, but just don’t know how. Or maybe you’ve been worshipping Him as you’ve been reading and want to linger in that place. Wherever you’re at, it’s all good. But for those who want it, here’s how I want to hold your arm up over the fight today; here’s my recipe for the Hungry Ones. 

Go back to Psalm 139 and read it until something stirs you – it could be a word or a phrase, or a lasting impression of the psalm overall. Perhaps this psalm springboarded you into a different part of scripture all together, that’s okay! If nothing jumps out straight away, read it over a few times, and ask Holy Spirit to open the eyes of your heart to receive Him. Once you have something to hold, I want you to place it in the context of your season (your “even there”), and then, from that place, give it back to Him in prayer and worship. Let me give you an example: 

Hold: Psalm 139:10 – even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me.

Place: This verse jumped out at me because COVID-19 disrupted plans I’d made to move, and now I’m moving to somewhere else entirely and there are lots of things that need to fall into place for me. This move holds a lot of my hopes and dreams, and initially, when it fell through, I thought that I’d heard God wrong or that He’d given up on me. 

Prayer: Lord, first and foremost, you’re faithful and your word is true. It doesn’t matter where I am or where I end up because I know that Your presence is not location specific. With every step, and in every direction, You promise to be there and give me what I need for the next leg of the journey. God, may I never pigeonhole you into a version of my life that is black and white, compared to the technicolour of how things could be if I simply let go and let you be God. You delight to see the work begin and you don’t despise the small beginnings, so neither should I. Father, may I be a woman who trusts and obeys. I don’t want to get distracted by disappointment and closed doors when your Spirit is still moving right here in front of me. Time and time again, Jesus told His disciples to come and to follow, and I know those words are being spoken over me right now. Jesus, please give me the courage to leave everything and do as you say. Amen.

Worship: When I say worship guys, I mean it literally! Put on a song and shout to the Lord! Solidify everything that God has revealed to you. Meditate on it and savour it, let it settle in your heart and mind, let it change you. So often we get a nugget of wisdom from God and rush off before the fullness of His revelation can be revealed in us. We take from Him and don’t stay long enough to say thank you! My darling sisters, let’s thank Him from our secret places even if we’re weary, disheartened, overjoyed, exultant, or just coasting along. Sing ‘til your voice gives out, shout so loud that the enemy knows that his plans have fallen through, that his schemes just won’t work. Sisters, let Heaven hear you, let the angels and saints hear you. The everlasting song of “Holy, Holy, Worthy Worthy,” is resounding over you. And here, yes, even here, you can join in too.

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