EVEN IN THE MIDST OF HUNGER
«Those who know Your name trust in You, for You,
O Lord, do not abandon those who search for You» (Psalm 9:10, NLT).
As any single woman knows, understanding that sex is reserved for marriage does not make us any less sexual beings. Understanding God’s design for sexual fulfillment does not make the desire for it disappear, as if by magic. Being a single woman, particularly in today’s churches, where the gender gap is still in place, implies living with hunger; in a state of permanent fasting.
American writer Fabienne Harford, in her article «Sex and the Single Woman,» writes, «There is pain in watching my friends be fed one after another with the thing I hunger for the most. There is pain in facing each morning with the knowledge that today there will be no daily bread for this hunger. There is pain as I sit, feeling as though I am starving to death, and listen to my married friends try to explain that such eating is overrated.» How can we trust in God in the midst of this pain? How can we live in abstinence without resentment toward God, who designed us to feel a sexual appetite, but does not provide a way to satisfy it? «This struggle has taught me to value hunger,» writes Fabienne, «to embrace it as a means of getting God, rather than thinking of this hunger as an enemy. It’s like fasting. . . The goal of fasting . . . is for us to learn that in the midst of hunger he is trustworthy.»
Fasting, from whatever it may be, is extremely uncomfortable. Our body constantly complains, and with good reason! However, discomfort and pain can bless us in an unexpected way, forcing us to depend on God to live with joy. God designed pleasure. He does not allow us to go through seasons of hunger to mock us, as a tyrant would. God uses the difficult chapters of our lives to show us that He Himself is the best gift, and to give us a chance to serve others. When we suffer the delay or loss of valid dreams, we can understand a sterile woman’s pain or that of an abandoned woman. We can look them in the eyes and tell them from experience: «Even in the midst of hunger, God is trustworthy.”
Dear Lord, even in the midst of an unchosen fast, I trust that You have not abandoned me, You are faithful even when I am hungry; that is why I choose to trust You will use this stage to teach me to depend more on You.
#WomensDevotional
#RadioJovenAdventista
#MeditacionesDiarias
Take From: Devotional Thoughts for Women 2022
«NO FEARS»
BY: VANEZA PISSUTO
Collaborators: Alexandra Pérez & Angelica Cuate.