daily-devotionalsReading: “They shall hunger no more.”—Revelation 7:16

Contemplate the blessed state of the redeemed above. They are at the fountain-head of happiness in their everlasting exemption from all want, and above all, in the presence of God and the Lamb. Let us anticipate as many of the blessed properties of it as our present state in Jesus will admit.

If Jesus is my home, my residence, my dwelling-place, will not the hungering 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, we find sustenance in Him, and therefore do not hunger for anything besides Him. He that is our hiding-place (Psalm 32:7), is also our food and nourishment. In Jesus there is both food and a fence; there is fruit, as well as a shadow; and the fullness of Jesus needs vent in the wants of His people, for the pouring forth of His all-sufficiency. If your hunger is really for Jesus, and Him only, then your hunger will be abundantly supplied in His communication. As long as you look at your wants, without an eye to Jesus, you will be miserable. But if you 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 it; He keeps His children empty that He may fill them, and that His fullness may be in request among them.

Rather than our hungering becoming a source of sorrow, it furnishes out instead a source of holy joy. We should never be straitened in ourselves when we are not straitened in Jesus. It would be a sad token of distance from Jesus if a sense of want was lessened. On the other hand, the best proof we can have of nearness to Jesus, and living on Him by faith is, when our enjoyment of Him discovers new and increasing wants, and excites a holy hungering for His supplying them.

Taken from The Poor Man’s Evening and Morning Portions by Rev. Robert Hawker, Works, Vol. 8; 1830. Edited by Aaron Dunlop for thinkgospel.com ©2013.