Matthew 5:6
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.
Brethren, today we are gathered here in a different place. It’s good sometimes to do something different, try something new to see if what we’re used to having or using or doing can be further improved. That’s healthy and there’s nothing wrong with that. However, there is another type of search for news that can lead to despair. It is the search to fill that void that we feel and cannot explain. That’s why our reflection today is on “The void that only God fills”.
Note: this message is adapted from the message of Pastor Jonas Alencar of Igreja Cristo Salva de Itupeva, Brazil, on 20.06.21.

Let’s start by learning what the words of this little verse of Matthew 5:6 mean within the culture of the Bible.
Blessed: this means blessed, happy. The blessed person overflows with joy all around him. She does not murmur and, when discouraged, she seeks Jesus and is renewed.
Hunger and thirst: these words reflect the desire, the will. We know very well what hunger and thirst are in our body, they are physiological sensations. Jesus uses these sensations to illustrate desire in the spirit world as well. Here we are not talking about food or drink for the flesh, we are talking about spiritual desire.
Justice: brothers, here some can get confused. This justice that Jesus speaks of is not the justice that decides what is right and wrong before a law. Here Jesus speaks of the divine righteousness which means the process of being totally cleansed from sin by the blood of Christ. This justice is our transformation into children of God. This justice is our reconciliation with God! HALLELUJAH!
Now brothers, join me in the following reading:

Romans 5:1, 11
1Therefore, since by faith we have been declared righteous, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. 2It is through faith that Christ has given us this grace that we now enjoy safely and joyfully, for we have the hope of sharing in the glory of God.
11Now, therefore, we can rejoice in God, to whom we have been reconciled through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Here in the letter to the Romans, Paul explains in chapter 4 the entire process of reconciliation with God since Abraham. I recommend that the brothers read Romans 4 and 5 at home to reinforce this message. Here I want to emphasize some aspects.
Brethren, let us glorify our God. Let’s declare how much He loves us! Follow me and see how wonderful our Lord is!
Read verse 1 carefully. Brethren, sinners like me, it was by no means our work that we were reconciled to God, it was because of what Jesus Christ our Lord did for us! Glory to God!

But it may still be that we can ask: how do I find this comfort? We find the prophecy about this point in:
Isaiah 55:1-2
1“Anyone thirsty? Come and drink, even if you don’t have any money! Come, drink wine or milk; it’s all free!
2Why spend your money on food that doesn’t strengthen? Why pay for what doesn’t satisfy? Listen to me, and you will eat what is good and delight in the tastiest foods.

God is wonderful! Declared there in the Old Testament we find: Hear me, and you will eat what is good and delight yourselves with the tastiest foods.
Let us listen to the word of God, let us follow Jesus Christ and all the rest will be given to us. We will be completely satisfied, because this emptiness that we often feel and cannot explain, God completely fills!
Glory to God!
Before closing, I would like to share a story that illustrates this message very well.
A farmer wore a glove every day. Once, during a horseback ride, the glove fell out of his hand and got lost. As we are talking about a story, in this story the glove is alive and starts thinking: now I am free from that hand and I can go wherever I want!
It turns out that the glove, without something inside, is soft, it couldn’t move properly. She then sees a pig nearby. She crawls over to the pig and asks him to put his paw inside her. The pig accepts and puts the paw inside the glove.
For a moment she feels content, has grown more resistant. But he soon realizes that the pig’s paw doesn’t fit his 5 toes very well! She then sees a chicken and thinks: yes! That chicken has 4 “fingers”, much better than the pig’s paw!
She says goodbye to the pig, now smeared with mud, and makes the same proposal to the chicken. The chicken accepts and puts its paw inside the glove.
Wow, what a feeling! Think the glove. But a short time later, the hen wants to stretch her fourth “finger” backwards and ends up tearing the glove. Annoyed, the glove leaves the chicken and remains there, left in the barn. But now it’s muddy and torn!
The farmer finds his lost glove and rejoices. He then picks it up, washes it, fixes the tear and puts it in his hand! The glove finally feels again that it is fully filled and happily follows every movement of its owner’s fingers!
Let us pray!
Lord God, we thank you Father for this opportunity to strengthen our faith. Glory to the Lord, because the Lord is Holy and fulfills all our needs! Amen!