A Changed Appetite

Have you ever wondered why the things you used to enjoy just don’t satisfy you anymore?

Certain conversations feel different. Some environments no longer feel comfortable. Even some relationships don’t feel the same.

Maybe nothing is wrong.

Maybe your appetite has changed.

“I never joined the people in their merry feasts. I sat alone because your hand was on me.” — Jeremiah 15:17 NLT

There comes a point in your walk with God when you realize something has changed.

That change is your appetite.

The things that used to entertain you don’t anymore. The conversations you could once sit through begin to bother you. Some environments you once enjoyed no longer feel like places where you belong. What used to satisfy you leaves you empty.

It’s not that you think you’re better than anyone. You’re beginning to recognize that what once fed you can no longer sustain where God is taking you. And when your appetite changes, sometimes your surroundings have to change with it.

That change can leave you in a place you never expected—alone.

But transformation doesn’t always happen in public. Sometimes God does His deepest work in the places where nobody else can see it.

Jeremiah said, “I sat alone because your hand was on me.”

Read that again.

I sat alone because Your hand was on me.

The Hebrew word for “hand,” yad, carries the idea of power and authority. Jeremiah understood that his separation was connected to God’s hand upon his life.

Maybe the isolation you’re experiencing is connected to the hand of God on your life. Your calling carries a weight that sometimes requires separation.

Sometimes the phone stops ringing.

Sometimes people you supported will not support you.

Sometimes people you thought would walk with you will walk away from you.

Sometimes you will carry something God placed inside of you that nobody around you seems to understand.

And sometimes you will struggle in silence while everyone assumes you are doing just fine.

Isolation hurts.

But there are times when God allows you to be alone so He can confirm your call, reveal His plans, and draw you closer to Him. Sanctification means being set apart—and sometimes being set apart will feel like being left out. What feels like isolation may actually be preparation for what God is doing in your life.

Don’t let loneliness drive you back to something—or someone—God has already given you the strength to walk away from. When God changes your appetite, don’t let an empty seat at their table make you hungry for what—or who—He has already removed from your life.

Sometimes being alone is where you learn that God is enough when everything and everyone else is absent.

And when the noise and distractions around you become quiet, you may begin to hear what you couldn’t hear clearly before.

God’s voice is not always found in the noise. Sometimes it is in the quiet where we can hear Him clearly without distraction. Elijah looked for God in the wind, the earthquake, and the fire, but God spoke in a gentle whisper. (1 Kings 19:11–12)

When isolation hurts, hold on to Him.

When nobody calls, hold on to Him.

When the support doesn’t come, hold on to Him.

When people walk away, hold on to Him.

When you don’t understand why this season feels so lonely, hold on to Him.

Maybe what—or who—is no longer with you is what you thought you needed to become who God called you to be.

But what God has called you to become was never dependent upon who stayed. It was dependent upon your willingness to remain with Him.

I don’t want to return to what used to satisfy me just because following God sometimes feels lonely.

I want His hand on me.

I want my life secure in Him.

I want His presence more than I want acceptance.

And if following Him changes my appetite, then so be it.

Reflection

What has changed in you as you have drawn closer to God?

Are there things—or people—you once had an appetite for that no longer satisfy you?

Has loneliness ever caused you to return to something God gave you the strength to walk away from?

If everyone else walked away, would God still be enough for you?

Prayer

Lord, thank You for Your hand being upon my life. Thank You for loving me, leading me, and setting me apart for Your purpose. Change my desires until what You desire becomes what I desire. If there are things I have outgrown, give me the strength not to return to them simply because I feel alone.

When separation hurts, draw me closer to You. When I don’t understand, help me trust You. Quiet the noise and distractions around me so I can hear Your voice clearly and follow where You lead. Teach me to be satisfied with Your presence and secure in who You have called me to be.

Lord, have Your way in me. Lead me and guide me in every way. Keep my life secure in You, and give me the strength to remain with You no matter who stays or who walks away.

In Jesus’ name, amen.