A reading of Anglican priest Robert Hawker’s (1753–1827) morning devotional writings from “The Poor Man’s Morning and Evening Portion.”
The music for this reading is “American Wigeon” by Chad Crouch and was adapted for length under a Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC 4.0).
And behold, there came a leper and worshiped him, saying, Lord! if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus put forth his hand and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately the leprosy was cleansed.— Matt. 8:2-3
Behold, my soul, in the instance of this leper, thine own circumstances. What he has in body, such wert thou in soul. As his leprosy made him loathsome and offensive before men, so the polluted soul made thee odious in the sight of God. He would not have sought a cure, had he not been conscious of his need of it. Neither wouldst thou have ever looked to Jesus, had he not convinced thee of thy helplessness and misery without him. Moreover, he would not, though convinced how much he needed healing, have sought that mercy from Jesus, had he not been made sensible of Jesus’s ability to the cure. Neither wouldst thou ever have come to Jesus, hadst thou not been taught who Jesus is, and how fully competent to deliver thee. The poor leper did not doubt whether Jesus was able; though he rather feared that ability might not be exercised towards him. His prayer was, not if thou art able; but, “Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.” Now here, my soul, I hope thy faith through grace exceeds the Jewish leper. Surely thou both knowest Jesus’s power and Jesus’s disposition to save thee. Unworthy and undeserving as thou art, yet his grace is not restrained by thy undeservings, no more than it was first constrained by thy merit. His love, his own love, his free love, is the sole rule of his mercy towards his children, and not their claims! for they have none, but in his free grace and the Father’s everlasting mercy. Cherish these thoughts, my soul, at all times, for they are most sweet and precious. But are these all the blessed things which arise out of the view of the poor leper’s case? Oh! no; the most delightful part still remains, in the contemplation of Jesus’s mercy to the poor petitioner, and the very gracious manner the Son of God manifested in the bestowing of it. He not only healed him, and did it immediately, but with that tenderness which distinguished his character and his love to poor sinners, Jesus put forth his hand and touched him; touched a leper. Even so, precious Lord! deal by me. Though polluted and unclean, yet condescend to put forth thine hand and touch me also. Put forth thy blessed Spirit. Come, Lord, and dwell in me, abide in me, and rule, and reign over me. Be thou my God, my Jesus, my Holy One, and make me thine for ever!
