₦airaland Forum

*OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL*

*AUTHOR:PASTOR ENOCH ADEJARE ADEBOYE*

*DATE:THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 4, 2025*


TOPIC: BLESSED ARE THE HUNGRY

*MEMORISE:*
“Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh.” - Luke 6:21

*READ: ACTS 8:27-39*

27. So he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, and had come to Jerusalem to worship,
28. was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet.
29. Then the Spirit said to Philip, "Go near and overtake this chariot."
30. So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, "Do you understand what you are reading?"
31. And he said, "How can I, unless someone guides me?" And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him.
32. The place in the Scripture which he read was this: “He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, So He opened not His mouth.
33. In His humiliation His justice was taken away, And who will declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth.”
34. So the eunuch answered Philip and said, “I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?”
35. Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him.
36. Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?”
37. Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”
38. So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him.
39. Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing.

*MESSAGE:*
O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; Psalm 63:1

The Scripture above was written by David in the wilderness of Judah. A wilderness is often characterised by a lack of food and water, and even though David might have been hungry and thirsty, he expressed a much greater desire for something more than food and water - God's presence. No wonder God called David a man after His own heart Acts 13:22.

In today's Bible reading, we read about the Ethiopian eunuch who had travelled many miles to Jerusalem to worship God. However, he had many questions as he was returning to his home country. As he travelled on the dusty roads of Gaza, an angel spoke to Phillip and told him to position himself on the road the eunuch was travelling on. As Phillip stood by the road, the Holy Spirit gave him an additional instruction to move closer to the man's chariot. God was so interested in the eunuch that He moved everything - an angel, a man, and His Spirit - to give him the answers he desired Acts 8:26-40. This is what happens when God sees genuine hunger for Him in the life of a fellow. He will never let the hungry go away without being filled, and He will always fill them with good things Luke 1:53.

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Matthew 5:6

God feeds you in proportion to your hunger for Him. Psalm 42:7 says, "...deep calleth unto deep..." When you really want to go deep in God, your hunger will attract the resources you need to go deep. A hungry and thirsty fellow is one who is desperate for food and water. In the same vein, God expects us to hunger and thirst for His power and glory. He expects us to desperately pursue Him and seek intimacy with Him. Jesus gave a parable in Matthew 13:44-46 that the Kingdom of God is like a man who found treasure in a field and sold all that he had so he could buy that field and own the treasure. Just like that man in the parable, God wants you to be hungry for Him so you can be filled and reflect more of His glory on the earth.

Reflection:
Are you truly hungry for God?

*BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: EZEKIEL 33-35*

*HYMN 8: I NEED THEE EVERY HOUR*

1. I need Thee every hour,
Most gracious Lord;
No tender voice like Thine
Can peace afford.

*CHORUS:*
I need Thee, Oh, I need Thee;
Ev'ry hour I need Thee!
Oh, bless me now, my Saviour,
I come to Thee!

2. I need Thee every hour,
Stay Thou nearby;
Temptations lose their power
When Thou art nigh.

3. I need Thee every hour,
In joy or pain;
Come quickly and abide
Or life is vain.

4. I need Thee every hour,
Teach me Thy will;
And Thy rich promises
In me fulfill.

5. I need Thee every hour,
Most Holy one;
Oh, make me Thine indeed,
Thou blessed Son!