More beatitudes

So I decided to just go ahead and look at the next two beatitudes...

Matthew 5:5-6 (NKJV)
"Blessed are the meek.
For they shall inherit the earth.

"Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For they shall be filled."

The definition given for meek is...

1) mildness of disposition, gentleness of spirit, meekness

Meekness toward God is that disposition of spirit in which we accept His dealings with us as good, and therefore without disputing or resisting. In the OT, the meek are those wholly relying on God rather than their own strength to defend them against injustice. Thus, meekness toward evil people means knowing God is permitting the injuries they inflict, that He is using them to purify His elect, and that He will deliver His elect in His time. (Is. 41:17, Lu. 18:1-8) Gentleness or meekness is the opposite to self-assertiveness and self-interest. It stems from trust in God's goodness and control over the situation. The gentle person is not occupied with self at all. This is a work of the Holy Spirit, not of the human will. (Gal. 5:23)

Oh, boy. Let's just say that meekness does not come easy for me in any aspect of my life. I especially love the exhortation that meeknness "stems from trust in God's goodness and control over the situation." I wonder how often He sits up in Heaven and looks down at me just shaking His head because I can't leave a situation alone and trust that He'll take care of it??!!

The next one is one of my absolute favorite verses in all of the Bible: "Blessed are those that hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled."

I love the word picture of hungering and thirsting after God, and I've felt that hunger and thirst acutely in my spirit, but so often I fill it with something else. WHY? I have no idea. Sometimes when I'm bored in the afternoon or evening, and I think to myself that it would be a perfect time to dig into God's Word, and then I don't. Instead I veg in front of the TV or on the Internet. What is wrong with me? Why do I push down that hunger rather than fulfilling it????

The definitions...

1) to hunger, be hungry
a) to suffer want
b) to be needy
2) metaph. to crave ardently, to seek with eager desire

1) to suffer thirst, suffer from thirst
a) figuratively, those who are said to thirst who painfully feel their want of, and eagerly long for, those things by which the soul is refreshed, supported, strengthened

Some other related verses that I also love...

Psalm 42:1 (NKJV)

"As the deer pants for the water brooks,
So my soul pants for You, O God."

And the promise to be satisfied in Christ...

Revelation 7:16 - 17 (NKJV)

"They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will sheperd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away ever tear from their eyes."

And the same promise from Old Testament prophecy...

Isaiah 49:10 (NKJV)

"They shall neither hunger nor thirst,
Neither heat nor sun shall strike them;
For He who has mercy on them will lead them,
Even by the springs of water, He will guide them."


Lord Jesus, thank you for the gift of Your Word. I thank you, Lord, that it is living and breathing, relevant to my life and life-changing if I simply choose to open it up and dig into it. Lord, I thank You for the Holy Spirit that opens my eyes and heart to hear what You have to say to me.

Father, please put that hunger and thirst for You back into my spirit. Lord, I want to long for You, pant after You. I want to experience an insatiable hunger and thirst that can only be filled by You and Your Word. Lord, please forgive me for pushing those feelings down and for choosing other things over time with You. I pray that the Holy Spirit would continue to convict me when I make those choices that reflect my sinfulness. Lord, thank You for not leaving me in the mud and the mire, but for lifting me up and setting my feet on the rock!

Lord Jesus, I pray also that You would teach me to be meek. Lord, I look at your life and how You, as the Son of God, came to the earth in meekness and allowed Yourself to be crucified on the cross, and I realize how very presumptuous it is of me to think that I need to stand up for my own rights in the face of unfairness. Lord, please forgive me for the times that I've done so and ruined a chance to be a witness of Your love. I pray, Lord, that the Holy Spirit would remind me of Your call to be meek and that I would be able to hold my tongue and control my actions in situations where I might otherwise feel the need to take care of it myself.

In Jesus' name, amen.