The chilling cry shatters the serene stillness of midnight. It disrespects the disarming dawn, too—as the sun rises higher, the unsettling shriek grows louder. The sharp-edged screech is unpredictable and may strike you anytime and anywhere. Even the sacred space of a sanctuary is not exempt—the hysterical wailing disrupts the preacher’s sermon and disturbs the congregation’s singing. The scream erupts from the lungs of my baby boy when he is hungry—and he makes certain that his voice is heard. 

Two seconds too late and his countenance becomes crimson. You cannot convince him to wait or distract him with toys. His appetite is insatiable, and he must be fed now. Of course, he sometimes whines from boredom and whimpers when he wants to be held, but he has never once sobbed over news headlines, the color of his onesie, or because his stuffed animals looked at him the wrong way. His serious tears are solely for milk because his highest priority is being fed.

He puts me to shame because I tend to cry over spilled milk: when foul weather ruins a hike, traffic makes me late for an appointment, or technology refuses to cooperate when I need it to work. But how frequently am I agitated by an irrepressible hunger for the milk of God’s word? What irritates me more: someone’s unkind words or how little I have heard from the word of truth (James 1:18)? And how often am I distracted by worldly amusements which diminish my desire for the law of the Lord, to where I forget how much I need it? A Bible that often rests unopened on my desk testifies against me. 

However, all believers—myself included—should “throw a fit” for the nourishment of the word of God. As Peter commanded, “Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation” (1 Peter 2:2). Christians should ache with gnawing hunger morning, night, and throughout the hours between for the faith-food of Scripture. The Bible is not an optional appetizer or an occasional dessert—your spiritual life depends on it: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4). Consequently, whether babes in Christ or seasoned saints, all children of God should crave the Scriptures, cry out for them, and drink deeply from its pages with a desperate urgency.  

I have watched my son skyrocket from an eight-pound newborn who couldn’t hold up his head to a four-month-old who can roll over, belly-laugh, and say “mama” (despite strong coaxing to say “dada” first). He can do what he’s never done because he eats like he’s never eaten. Likewise, to grow in Christlikeness like you never have and do for God what you’ve never done, you must eat the truth of Scripture like you never have before (Jer. 15:16; 2 Tim. 3:16; Ps. 119:11).

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