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 “Canada Goose” by Chad Crouch and was adapted for length under a Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC 4.0).
“They shall hunger no more.”— Rev. 7:16.
My soul! contemplate for a moment, before thou enterest upon the concerns of time and sense, in the claims of the world, the blessed state of the redeemed above. They are at the fountain-head of happiness, in their station, in their service, in their society, in their provision, in their everlasting exemption from all want, and above all, in the presence of God and the Lamb. “ They shall hunger no more.” Sweet thought! Let me this day anticipate as many of the blessed properties of it as my present state in Jesus will admit. If Jesus be my home, my residence, my dwelling-place, will not the hungerings of my soul find supply? Yes! surely. A life of faith on the Son of God is a satisfying life, under all the changes of the world around. Finding Jesus, I find sustenance in him, and therefore do not hunger for aught besides him. “Thou art my hiding- place,” said one of old; and my soul finds occasion to adopt the same language. And he that is my hiding- place is also my food and my nourishment. In Jesus there is both food and a fence; there is fruit as well as a shadow; and the fulness of Jesus needs vent in the wants of his people, for the pouring forth of his all-sufficiency. My soul! cherish this thought to the full. If thy hunger be really for Jesus, and him only, then will thy hunger be abundantly supplied in his communication. As long as I look at my wants, without an eye to Jesus, I shall be miserable. But if I consider those wants and that emptiness purposely appointed for the pouring out of his fullness, they will appear as made for the cause of happiness. Jesus keeps up the hungering that he may have the blessedness of supplying them; he keeps his children empty that he may fill them, and that his fullness may be in request among them. So far, therefore, is my hungering from becoming a source of sorrow, it furnisheth out a source of holy joy. I should never be straitened in myself, when I am not straitened in Jesus. Nay, it would be a sad token of distance from Jesus if a sense of want was lessened. While, on the other hand, the best proof I can have of nearness to Jesus, and living upon him, is, when my enjoyment of Jesus discovers new and increasing wants, and excites a holy hungering for his supplying them. By and by I shall get home, and then, at the fountain-head of rapture and delight, all hungering and wants will be done away in the full and everlasting enjoyment of God and the Lamb!
