Hungry Hearts Receive: Draw Me Close to God

Jeremiah 29:11 anchors a call to hope: God thinks thoughts of peace and promises an expected end to those who seek Him with all their heart. Music emerges as a doorway to longing—songs like Draw Me Close give voice to a hungry heart that seeks nearness. That hunger shows up in every life as a craving for meaning, peace, and a presence that satisfies what success and pleasure cannot. Scripture insists that genuine hunger for righteousness never goes unanswered; heaven responds when hearts press toward God rather than remain spectators.

Repentance opens the door to simple, immediate forgiveness—scarlet sins washed white—because mercy meets a heart willing to surrender pride for pardon. Forgiveness does more than pardon a past; it breaks the past’s power so that freedom becomes whole, not merely occasional. The arms of Jesus reach wide for every prodigal, backslider, and secret shame, inviting restoration and celebration rather than condemnation.

A hungry heart can pull deliverance from heaven: addictions loosen, strongholds collapse, and generational chains tremble when pursuit meets persistence. The promise includes the baptism of the Holy Spirit—an inner transformation where weakness meets divine power, fear meets authority, and emptiness meets overflowing life. That gift initiates miracles of restoration in marriages, minds, bodies, and finances.

Joy and love become byproducts of encountering God. The joy of the Lord proves durable and independent of circumstances—joy that runs over even amid tears. God’s love reaches the worst moments and covers shame, enabling worship that rises from gratitude rather than performance. The text offers a pastoral plea for brokenness and honesty: lay the hungry heart at Christ’s feet, surrender pride, and receive mercy.

The gospel summons more than sentiment; it demands movement. Miracles in Scripture welcome seekers who act—blind men cried, lepers knelt, a desperate woman pressed through the crowd—because heaven answers those who seek with the whole heart. The invitation concludes with an altar call: pour out longing, repent, receive the Spirit, and walk into a life of enduring freedom, joy, and love.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Everyone carries a hungry heart A longing for meaning and presence drives human choices. That hunger can lead away from God or toward Him; its orientation determines outcomes. When directed toward righteousness, hunger activates divine response and reshapes identity. Choose pursuit over passivity to let that hunger become a path to restoration. [38:14]
• 2. Hunger draws a divine response God notices earnest seeking and responds with mercy and power. Seeking with the whole heart triggers promise—“you shall find me”—because divine initiative honors genuine pursuit. This response reforms habits and cracks strongholds, proving that effort toward God invites heaven’s movement. Persist in seeking rather than settling for spectatorship. [41:41]
• 3. Forgiveness awaits repentant seekers Confession opens immediate access to cleansing; forgiveness is simple to receive, not earned by striving. Mercy covers scarlet sins and breaks their power, freeing identity from past failures. Relinquish pride and accept pardon to experience true, lasting change rather than temporary relief. [45:28]
• 4. Receive the baptism of the Spirit The Holy Spirit indwells believers, converting weakness into strength and fear into authority. This baptism sparks sustained transformation—restoration of relationships, minds, and bodies—and undergirds ongoing miracles. Do not expect passivity to birth revival; invite the Spirit and press into reception. [53:39]
• 5. Joy and love transform life Encountering God yields joy that endures beyond circumstances and love that erases shame. These fruits sustain worship, courage, and resilience amid trials, producing a life marked by overflowing gratitude. Let divine affection reshape identity and motivate authentic, lasting devotion. [55:29]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:16] - Prayer and youth traveling mercies
• [00:57] - God moving in the church
• [33:02] - Youth conferences and anticipation
• [34:29] - Reading: Jeremiah 29:11
• [38:14] - Music as language of a hungry heart
• [41:41] - Hunger for righteousness answered
• [45:28] - Forgiveness and the cross
• [49:00] - Letting mercy outweigh pride
• [52:40] - Hunger pulls deliverance
• [53:39] - Baptism of the Holy Ghost promised
• [55:29] - Joy unspeakable and full of glory
• [57:33] - God’s love reaches the worst moments
• [62:04] - Altar call: lay down the heart

1. According to Jeremiah 29:11, what are the specific characteristics of the plans God has for His people?
2. What two conditions are given in Jeremiah 29:12-13 for finding God?
3. The sermon describes a "hungry heart" as a universal human experience. What are some of the specific things this heart is said to be hungry for? [40:08]
4. What are the different outcomes described for a heart that runs toward God versus one that runs away from Him? [39:24]

1. Why do you think God requires seeking Him with "all your heart" instead of just a partial effort?
2. The statement is made that "miracles in scripture are never for the spectator" but are for "the seeker." [43:36] What does this reveal about how God's power is typically released in a person's life?
3. How does the promise that God breaks the *power* of our past, not just pardons it, change how a person can view their history and mistakes? [50:33]
4. The "joy of the Lord" is described as not being fragile or tied to circumstances. [55:52] What is the source of a joy that can exist even when there are tears on one's face?

1. In what area of your life right now do you feel that "hungry heart" the most—that ache for meaning, peace, or a presence that success and pleasure cannot satisfy?
2. What does seeking God with your *whole heart* look like practically in your current season of life? What habits of "spectatorship" might need to be replaced with habits of "pursuit"?
3. Is there a part of your past where you have accepted God's pardon but are still allowing it to have power over you? What would it look like this week to actively believe that its power has been broken?
4. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is described as God living *inside* you, turning weakness into power and emptiness into overflow. [54:28] Have you invited Him to fill you in this way? If not, what is holding you back? If so, in what area of weakness do you most need to rely on His indwelling power today?
5. How can the truth that God loved you at your absolute worst moment [57:33] impact how you deal with feelings of shame or rejection this week?
6. The altar call was to "lay your hungry heart at the feet of Jesus." [01:05:46] If you were to do that literally right now, what specific longing, struggle, or need would you place there?