Revival cannot be manufactured. We need the Holy Ghost, and we must become hungry enough to seek God beyond the comfort of familiar church routines.
Minister Josh Hyden challenged the congregation to seek Jesus Christ through prayer, surrender, and obedience. Before he preached, that spiritual hunger was already expressed through worship and testimony.
Key Takeaways
- Spiritual hunger moves believers to seek God through prayer, Scripture, surrender, and obedience.
- Seek God Himself rather than making an answer to prayer the main pursuit.
- Familiar church routines can lead to complacency when people attend without engaging in worship or prayer.
- The article connects revival with prayer, humility, and surrender to the Holy Spirit, not performance.
Prayer and Praise Prepare the Heart
We began by praying for lost family members, a family grieving a young child's death, people facing life-threatening illnesses, and their caregivers. We thanked God that Sister Sheila had left the hospital and prayed for Rodney's strength as he connected audiovisual equipment in the new sanctuary.
Isaiah 61:1-3 declared good news, healing for broken hearts, liberty for captives, and beauty for ashes. Jesus proclaimed this ministry in Luke 4.
An illustration of congregational worship.
The call was to praise God even under heaviness. Songs of thanksgiving recalled salvation, healing, and the filling of the Holy Ghost, inviting us to "taste and see that the Lord is good." In some Christian traditions, the Eucharist is also called communion, a distinct observance from the prayer and praise described here. An encouragement from Psalm 124 reminded us that the Lord breaks the snare. Don't give up.
Seek God Before the Answer
Jeremy testified that his job search had consumed his attention. He described spending 90 percent of his time seeking employment and only 10 percent seeking God. When he reversed those priorities, he said the Lord provided work and filled him with the Holy Ghost.
Sister Julie pointed to his blue company shirt as visible evidence of answered prayer, then brought the attention back to God:
"But you can't look for the shirt. You got to look for God."
The Samaritan woman at the well heard Jesus offer living water, the water of life that leads to eternal life. His offer pointed her beyond an immediate need to the life found in Him.
We seek the Lord Himself in communion, rather than allowing the answer we need to become our greatest pursuit.
Hunger Refuses to Settle for Routine
Josh defined desperation through urgency, willingness to take risky action, and the seriousness of a person's need. Physical hunger drives someone to search for food; spiritual hunger should move us to seek God.
Prayer and the Word of God nourish a believer's spiritual appetite. God provided manna through Moses, and Jesus fed the five thousand. Jesus called himself the bread of life, pointing beyond physical need to dependence on Him.
Josh played a message from the late Brother Floyd LaHan, whose ministry had helped awaken that hunger in him. Hungry people become desperate people. Jesus promised that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness "shall be filled" (Matthew 5:6).
Josh warned that we can attend church while remaining mentally absent. We must refuse the complacency that trades revival for comfort.
A Prayer Closet Became a Prayer Home
Allie shared that she loved her parents, but their drug use shaped much of her childhood. She gave her life to the Lord at about 16 and found a place of refuge in private prayer.
After watching War Room, she cleared part of her closet to make room for prayer. When God later provided her own home, that prayer closet became what she called a prayer home.
An illustration of a private prayer space.
She had expected to receive the Holy Ghost at that service. Instead, while praying with Josh and Natalie Hafer, she received Him on her living-room couch.
Allie also described persistent prayer and fasting for her father's deliverance from alcohol. At the service, she reported that he was 162 days sober and had received the Holy Ghost during Josh's previous visit. Her challenge was to ask God for greater hunger rather than accepting discouragement.
Faith Reaches for Jesus
The woman who touched His garment
In Mark 5:25-34, a woman had suffered bleeding for 12 years, spent everything seeking treatment, and grown worse. Hearing about Jesus Christ, she believed that touching His clothing would make her whole.
Many people crowded around Him, but she reached with faith. Josh connected her dependence on Jesus with Proverbs 3:5-6: trust the Lord wholeheartedly rather than relying on your own understanding. Faith rests in His character and submits to His wisdom.
Josh’s testimony of healing
Josh recalled being diagnosed as a teenager with long QT syndrome, a potentially life-threatening heart condition. He prayed, fasted, placed Scripture around his room, and continued returning for medical tests.
He testified that during worship he sensed God telling him He had given him a new heart. Later, according to Josh's account, a doctor found no evidence of the disease.
We receive that testimony with gratitude. We pray for healing while trusting God's wisdom about the outcome.
Keep Crying Out and Carry One Another
In Mark 10:46-52, Bartimaeus cried for mercy when he heard Jesus was near. People told him to be quiet, but he cried louder. Jesus called him, restored his sight, and Bartimaeus followed Him.
Josh also pointed to the friends who brought a paralyzed man to Jesus in Mark 2:1-12. Their faith moved them to overcome the crowded entrance and lower him through the roof.
We need people who will help carry us toward Jesus. Josh connected that fellowship with our Monday-night prayer gatherings and the prayer meetings he and Allie began holding.
Revival Is Birthed in Prayer
Josh named three examples whose lives emphasized prayer and surrender.
William J. Seymour persisted through rejection and held prayer meetings connected with the beginnings of the Azusa Street outpouring. Evan Roberts committed himself to prayer, and Josh recounted the Welsh awakening's estimated 100,000 conversions within a year.
Kathryn Kuhlman's example emphasized yielding completely to the Holy Spirit. Josh described her willingness to stop preaching and wait when she recognized His presence.
The common thread was prayer, brokenness, private encounters with God, and surrender to the Holy Spirit. Neglecting prayer and surrender can leave a church in spiritual famine. Spiritual renewal is nurtured in the secret place. We cannot produce it through performance or insist that God repeat every detail of a previous move.
Humility Leads to Obedience Beyond Church Walls
Josh closed with 2 Chronicles 7:14: God's people must humble themselves, pray, seek His face, and turn from wickedness.
Humility means setting pride aside and obeying God, even when obedience feels uncomfortable. That obedience must continue in stores and streets, where someone may be silently asking God for help.
We prayed for hunger, healing, revival, and boldness to reach people beyond our gatherings. The invitation to receive prayer continued into worship centered on wanting Jesus Himself and declaring His power to break chains.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does spiritual hunger mean?
Spiritual hunger is a desire to seek God and depend on Him. The article connects it with prayer, the Word of God, and a refusal to settle for routine.
How can someone seek God before an answer to prayer?
The article encourages seeking God Himself rather than letting a needed answer become the main pursuit. Prayer and surrender keep the focus on Him.
Why does the article warn against familiar church routines?
People can attend church while remaining mentally absent. The article calls believers to engage in prayer and worship instead of settling for comfort and complacency.
What does the article say about revival?
Revival cannot be manufactured through performance. The article connects spiritual renewal with prayer, humility, and surrender to the Holy Spirit.
The Call to Become Hungry
We cannot replace dependence on God with familiar routines. The call is to seek Him in prayer, surrender our pride, and obey the Holy Ghost wherever He leads. Like the deer panting for streams, our spiritual thirst is a longing for God, who alone can satisfy the soul.
If your hunger has weakened, ask Him to renew it. The question Josh placed before us remains: How desperate are you for God?
