What Is Spiritual Famine

Famine is more than a curse in the Bible: it is a symbol of change and a chance for a fresh start.

What is famine in the Bible?

From famine, which was occasionally depicted in the Bible as a severe lack of food, a concept of a more horrific famine gradually arose in the text—a gnawing absence of everything that gives life purpose. Famines were associated by New Testament writers with both acute material and spiritual-cultural deprivation.

What causes spiritual dryness?

Religious people might go through spiritual dry spells that range from spiritual unease to spiritual crises. The writers looked into the root reasons of spiritual dryness in religious brothers and sisters who had lived in monastic settings for decades. They conducted qualitative interviews with 16 brothers and 14 sisters, inquiring about the triggers of spiritual dryness stages. The identified categories were inductively structured and condensed into five main topics based on the content analysis of the 30 narratives: (1) Loss of Relationship with God, (2) Loss of Orientation, (3) Loss of Depth, (4) Difficulties with the Religious Community, and (5) Intrinsic Factors: Overload, Uncertainty, Depression. Extrinsic (God not responding, others causing obstacles) and intrinsic (loss of orientation and depth, doubt, and depressive state) factors can be separated from these five primary subjects. To assist and support individuals during these phases, a thorough discernment of the underlying'spirits' (triggers) is required. It appears that no single (theological) interpretation of the causes is valid, but that different interpretations may be true for the many different people who are going through these periods of darkness, dryness, despair, or loss of faith.

What does the Bible say about pestilence and famine?

The Bible mentions plagues, pestilences, and pandemics killing people in a number of locations. When Israel breaks the covenant, for example, God says in Lev. 26:25, “I will send disease among you.” Solomon declares in II Chronicles 6:28 that if there is pestilence, starvation, or blight, may God hear the people's petitions from the temple. God says that if he sends disease, the people might pray and humble themselves in the next chapter, II Chron. 7:13. (v. 14). Pestilence on the Egyptians' animals is plague number four, and as a result, they all perish, as described in Exod. 9:3-6. Because of David's ill-conceived census, God unleashes a disease that kills 70,000 Israelites in II Samuel 24:15. There will be plagues, Jesus declares in Luke 21:11. In Ezekiel 14:21 and 33:27, and Jeremiah 21:6, 7 and 9, both Ezekiel and Jeremiah mention God sending plagues. The Bible says in Rev. 6:8 that

What does the Bible say about food shortages?

Hunger has afflicted humanity for millennia, and it continues to do so today. According to the United Nations and World Food Programme's “The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World” report for 2021, between 720 and 811 million people worldwide will be hungry in 2020. Furthermore, 22 percent of children under the age of five were stunted (short for their age), 6.7 percent were wasting (short for their height), and 5.7 percent were overweight (too heavy for their height).

Every night, about one out of every ten people on the planet goes to bed hungry. Join us in praying for the world's hungry and those who are trying to feed them.

The fact that hunger has endured does not mean it has gone unnoticed by God: “God always keeps his word.” Psalm 146:6–7, CEV) says, “He delivers justice to the needy and food to the hungry.” His expectations of His people have remained unchanged. One of the laws that God gave Moses for His people was to leave some harvests in the fields so that the impoverished could gather them for their families (Leviticus 19:9–10).

On October 16, we commemorate the fight against hunger with World Food Day. People all over the world are reaffirming their commitment to ending hunger on the anniversary of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization's creation.

Romida, a 20-year-old first-time mother who is raising her 1-year-old son, Salman, in a Rohingya refugee camp, has had a difficult year. Romida, like the 880,000 Rohingya refugees in southern Bangladesh, is completely reliant on humanitarian aid, particularly for food.

“We used to harvest rice and vegetables in our hamlet in Rakhine and raise chickens, cows, and goats on our farmland,” Romida explains. “We were free to eat whatever we wanted.” We don't have any land to work with here. We don't have any money and are unable to purchase basic necessities. It's a lot harder here than it is in Myanmar.”

The World Food Programme provides rice, lentils, and oil rations to refugees in the camps on a monthly basis (WFP). While this food is sufficient for survival, it lacks the vitamin-rich, high-protein diet that Romida and other pregnant women and nursing mothers require to keep their infants and themselves healthy.

When Romida's son, Salman, was 7 months old, she received her first coupon. She hadn't had an egg in over a year. “I was overjoyed when I received the torkarir token (Rohingya for “token for cooking products”),” she explains with a smile. “I bought a lot of eggs.” According to my preferences, I also purchased dried fish, potatoes, turmeric, sugar, onions, and chillies.”

Romida prepared a meal with her meager supplies and her WFP ration of rice and lentils.

“I believe the food assistance assisted me in staying healthy while breastfeeding.” Eggs, potatoes, dried salmon, and green veggies were among my favorite foods. For us, the mementos were a blessing,” Romida explains. “My child is maturing. I am ecstatic when I see him happy and energetic.”

Experts believe that by 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic would have added 132 million people to the ranks of the undernourished. As a result, we pray to the Lord for the impoverished and hungry.

What does sojourn mean in the Bible?

“The Hebrew noun gr (Hebrew gr; plural grm) is frequently translated as “sojourner.” This Hebrew term and its translation convey the basic idea that a person (or group) is temporarily or permanently residing in a community and place that is not primarily their own, and that they are reliant on the community and place “For their continued existence, they must rely on the “good will” of that community. In addition, “Scholars have attempted to convey the meaning of the Hebrew term with a variety of interpretations, including “resident alien,” “immigrant,” “foreign resident,” “client,” “foreigner,” and “stranger.” The fact that the Hebrew phrase (gr) is merely one of several terms with similar or comparable meanings adds to the intricacy. These include nokhr (typically translated as “stranger,” but also “foreigner”); zr (generally translated as “foreigner,” but also “enemy”); and azra (usually translated as “foreigner,” but also “enemy”) “Indigenous.” These last three phrases are not directly addressed in this article, but they are frequently mentioned in various conversations. Finally, there is the question of whether gr should be translated into Greek as o (proselyte) or as a (proselyte) (one who dwells). The significance of the phrase gr (the French counterpart of gr) “The use of the term “sojourner” in this article refers to many entities. Individual biblical figures sojourn at times: Abraham did so in Egypt (Genesis 12:10) and Gerar (Genesis 20:1); Joseph and his brothers did so in Egypt (Genesis 47:4); and a Levite did so in Judah and Ephraim (Judges 17:7–9; 19:1). Other times, the entire nation of Israel is depicted as residing in Egypt (Isaiah 52:4) or Babylon (Ezra 1:2–4). Individuals are frequently reported to have sojourned in ancient Israel (Leviticus 22:17–18; Isaiah 16:4). These people, especially the children, must be treated with respect “widow, orphan, and sojourner” (Deuteronomy 10:17–18; 27:19), as well as the Levite (Deuteronomy 10:17–18; 27:19). (Deuteronomy 14:29; 24:19). Because Israel was a gr in Egypt, it is appropriate to treat the gr decently (Leviticus 19:34; Deuteronomy 24:5). Further questions are raised by the fact that the gr (sojourner) is to be treated favorably in the community. Are there any constraints on the gr's ability to participate in cultic ceremonies? Is it possible for a gr to join the community as a full member (proselyte) after circumcision? Is it possible for an Israelite to become a leader in their own community? What qualifies a Levite as a gr? The Hebrew Bible is not always consistent in its view of the sojourner (gr) and her or his role in the community, which makes resolving these concerns difficult. Examining the resources in this post reveals this variation in knowledge. Furthermore, the problems with this inconsistency are carried over into following gr translations and even contemporary gr analyses.

What does the Bible say about spiritual drought?

Finally, we must trust God's timing and wait for Him to answer our prayers when the time is right. “I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my plea,” says Psalm 40:1-2. He took me out of the slimy pit, the mud and mire, and placed my feet on a rock, giving me a sturdy place to stand.”

We all go through spiritual dry spells from time to time. We desire to turn to God, communicate God's truth to ourselves, maintain our spiritual disciplines, and wait for God to re-enter our life.

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What is spiritual emptiness?

Spiritual emptiness was a major problem in the educated European middle class, according to Austrian philosopher/educator Rudolf Steiner (1861–1925). He claimed that European culture had become “empty of spirit” and “ignorant of the demands, the conditions, that are required for the life of the spirit” in his 1919 lectures. Due to the “absence of will from the life of thought,” people experienced a “spiritual emptiness” and their thinking became distinguished by a “lazy passivity.” People would “let their thoughts to take hold of them” in modern Europe, according to Steiner, and these thoughts would increasingly be filled with abstraction and “pure, natural scientific thinking.” The educated middle classes began to think in a “devoid of spirit” manner, with their thoughts getting “dimmer and darker,” and their spirits becoming increasingly empty.

According to Louis Dupré, a Yale University philosophy professor, the “spiritual emptiness of our day is a sign of its religious poverty.” Many people, he claims, “never experience any emptiness: they are too busy to feel much absence of any kind”; they only realize their spiritual emptiness when “painful personal experiences — the death of a loved one, the breakdown of a marriage, the alienation of a child, the failure of a business” shock them into reassessing their sense of meaning.

Juvenile violence has been linked to spiritual emptiness. In his 1999 book How Juvenile Violence Begins: Spiritual Emptiness, John C. Thomas claims that kids in impoverished indigenous communities who are feeling meaningless may turn to fighting and aggressive crime to fill their void. In his 1999 book Lost Boys: Why Our Sons Turn Violent and How We Can Save Them, Cornell University professor James Garbarino believes that “neglect, humiliation, spiritual emptiness, alienation, anger, and access to guns are a few of the factors common to violent boys.” According to Garbarino, a professor of human development, violent males have “alienation from positive role models” and “a spiritual vacuum that fosters hopelessness.” The violent fantasy of American gun culture seduces these children, providing negative role models of tough, aggressive males who use power to obtain what they want. He thinks that giving boys a “feeling of purpose” and “spiritual anchors” that can “anchor boys in empathy and socially engaged moral thought” can benefit them.

Addiction is frequently linked to spiritual emptiness, particularly by Christian-influenced addiction organizations and counsellors. One of the effects of alcoholism, according to Bill Wilson, the founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, is that heavy drinkers experience a spiritual emptiness. In his book Addictive Thinking: Understanding Self-Deception, published in 1997, Abraham J. Twerski contends that when people are spiritually empty, they typically turn to addictive activities to fill the emptiness. Unlike an empty stomach, which is a distinct sensation, spiritual emptiness is difficult to pinpoint, leaving persons with a feeling of “vague disquiet.” While some people try to fill the void by excessively having sex, overeating, or abusing drugs or alcohol, these habits only provide brief relief. When a person in crisis because of spiritual emptiness is able to stop one addiction, such as obsessive sex, they frequently replace it with another, such as gambling or overeating.

What is spiritual neglect?

Spiritual abuse and neglect of children and adolescents are events or settings that have a negative impact on the development of meaning, purpose, connection/belonging, faith, or moral and ethical principles. This national study adds to our understanding of spiritual abuse and neglect of children and adolescents by assessing the frequency with which social workers experienced ten different types of maltreatment. According to the findings, this type of mistreatment may occur frequently enough to be considered a problem that needs to be investigated and handled. The implications for practitioners, program makers, and child advocates are examined, as well as the need for more research.