Direct answer: Regaining hunger for God usually begins with honest desire rather than manufactured emotion. Ask God to renew your love for Him, identify what has crowded out attention, return to Scripture and prayer in a simple way, obey what you already know, and reconnect with Christians who can encourage you. Spiritual hunger can grow again even when it returns gradually.
The goal is not to recreate a dramatic season from the past. It is to turn toward God Himself with honesty and persistence.
Spiritual hunger is desire directed toward God
Psalm 42 and Psalm 63 describe longing for God in language of thirst. Those psalms do not present hunger as a technique for producing a spiritual mood. They direct desire toward God’s presence, character, and steadfast love even in difficulty.
Tozer’s first chapter, “Following Hard after God,” makes a similar point. The believer’s desire for God is not a claim of spiritual superiority. It is a response to grace—a longing to know more deeply the God who has already made Himself known.
Do not diagnose lost hunger too quickly
A lack of desire can come from different places, and the response should fit the cause. Consider which of these questions is most relevant:
- Am I exhausted? If so, begin with rest and a smaller spiritual rhythm rather than more pressure.
- Am I distracted? Constant entertainment, news, scrolling, or work can train attention away from quiet desire.
- Am I disappointed with God? Unanswered prayer or painful circumstances may need lament before renewed delight.
- Am I protecting a known sin? Hunger can be dulled when we repeatedly resist what Scripture makes clear.
- Have I become isolated? Desire often weakens when Christian worship, friendship, and accountability disappear.
- Has routine become mechanical? A faithful practice may need renewed attention, not abandonment.
Do not call every dry period rebellion. But do not use weariness as an excuse to avoid honest repentance either.
Remember, return, and re-order
Revelation 2:4–5 gives the church in Ephesus a concrete sequence: remember, repent, and return to earlier works. Without forcing that passage into every experience of spiritual dryness, the pattern is useful.
Remember
Recall a time when God’s Word, worship, prayer, or service was especially meaningful. What conditions helped you pay attention? Was there a mature believer walking with you? Were you reading Scripture more slowly? Had you removed a particular distraction?
Do not chase the old emotion. Learn from the faithful practices that surrounded it.
Return
Choose one neglected practice and restart it at a sustainable level. Read a short Gospel passage each day. Pray from a psalm. Return to gathered worship. Ask a trusted believer to read with you for two weeks.
Re-order
Desire is shaped by what repeatedly receives attention. Remove one optional rival for a defined period and replace it with something that turns you toward God. An empty space usually refills itself; make the replacement intentional.
Let obedience lead when desire lags behind
Christians sometimes wait to feel spiritually hungry before they obey. Scripture often works in the opposite direction: obedience trains attention and love. Forgive the person you have avoided. Serve when no one notices. Confess what you have hidden. Open the Bible even if you do not expect a dramatic experience.
Obedience cannot purchase God’s love. It can, however, place us in a posture of attentiveness rather than resistance.
A seven-day hunger reset
Use this as a short experiment, not as a scorecard:
- Day 1 — Tell the truth. Write one paragraph to God about what you actually desire right now.
- Day 2 — Read Psalm 63 slowly. Circle what David seeks and why.
- Day 3 — Remove one rival. Reduce one optional distraction for the rest of the week.
- Day 4 — Return to a Gospel. Read one scene and ask what it reveals about Jesus.
- Day 5 — Obey one clear command. Choose something concrete rather than vague self-improvement.
- Day 6 — Worship with others. Participate rather than waiting until you feel inspired.
- Day 7 — Review desire without grading yourself. Ask what helped you attend to God and what still needs honest attention.
Do not make hunger itself the object
It is possible to become preoccupied with whether you feel hungry enough. That turns spiritual desire back toward the self. The object of Christian hunger is God, not the sensation of being spiritually intense.
Tozer’s strongest contribution here is his insistence that God Himself is the treasure. The question is not merely, “How do I feel more spiritual?” It is, “How do I seek, trust, worship, and obey God as He has made Himself known?”
Let pursuit mature into abiding
Renewed hunger is a beginning, not the whole Christian life. John 15 points toward a steadier reality: remaining in Christ, receiving His words, continuing in His love, praying, obeying, and bearing fruit. That is why Pathway 1 naturally leads into Kingdom Pathway 2 — Abide in Me.
Related reading: How Can I Pursue God When I Am Spiritually Tired?; How Can I Help Someone Else Develop a Hunger for God?; How Can The Pursuit of God Help a Christian Who Feels Spiritually Stuck?; How Can The Pursuit of God Help Someone Who Is Spiritually Bored?.
Primary text consulted: A. W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God, especially Chapter 1, “Following Hard after God.”