Soul Food
Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in health; I know that it is well with your soul.
3 John 2 RSV
The Bible teaches that a person is more than just a body—each of us is actually a living soul! Our souls are created in the image of God. Just as our bodies have certain characteristics and appetites, so do our souls. The characteristics of the soul are intelligence, emotions, and will. The human soul or spirit longs for peace, contentment, and happiness. Most of all, the soul has an appetite for God—a yearning to be reconciled to its Creator and to have fellowship with Him forever.
In our world, we give most attention to satisfying the appetites of the body and practically none to the soul. Consequently we are one-sided. We become fat physically and materially, while spiritually we are lean, weak, and anemic. Or we spend enormous amounts of time and money on fad diets, expensive exercise machines, and health clubs. For many people, these things only demonstrate their preoccupation with the physical side of life. To be sure, our bodies have been given to us by God, and we are to take care of them in every way possible. But even more important is taking care of our souls. The apostle Paul told Timothy, “Train yourself in godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also the life to come” (1 Timothy 4:7–8 RSV).
The soul actually demands as much attention as the body. It demands fellowship and communion with God. It demands worship, quietness, and meditation. Nothing but God ever completely satisfies, because the soul was made for God, and without God it is restless and in secret torment.
Our Father and our God, my soul thirsts for Your eternal refreshment and satisfaction. It yearns to be in Your presence and to drink in Your glory and majesty. I come to You in worship and meditation now, Father, and I pray for Your peace and quietness to enter my heart and mind through the loving touch of Jesus Christ, through whom I pray. Amen.
Billy Graham, Unto the Hills: A Daily Devotional (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2010).