January 27

"The eyes of all wait upon you; and you give them their food in due season." Psalm 145:15

The Lord will bring all his children sooner or later, each in their measure, to "wait upon him." Whatever trouble they are in, "the eyes of all wait upon you;" whatever temptations they have to pass through, "the eyes of all wait upon you;" whatever difficulty in temporal things, whatever conflict in spiritual things, whatever hardship in providence, whatever exercise in grace be their lot, the Lord will bring all his children at one time or another into this experience, "the eyes of all wait upon you." "Wait upon you" for deliverance; "wait upon you" for a manifestation; "wait upon you" for the lifting up the light of your countenance; "wait upon you" for one soft word spoken by your mouth to the soul; "wait upon you" for one smile of your approving countenance; "wait upon you" for one testimony of your everlasting favor.

And he that knows not what it is to "wait upon God" in this manner, wait upon him by night and by day as the Lord works it in him, wait upon him on his bed, wait upon him behind his counter, wait upon him in the solitary fields, wait upon him in the crowded streets--he lacks that evidence, he lacks that divine feature, which the Holy Spirit has stamped here upon all the living family.

"And you give them their food in due season." There is "food," then, that they are waiting upon God for, to receive at his hands. And it is called "their food." It belongs to them. All the elect of God have provision laid up for them in Christ; for "it has pleased the Father, that in him should all fullness dwell." "I will abundantly bless her provision" (Psalm 132:15). Though none of God's quickened family ever dare to claim the blessing at God's hands, yet the Lord has so stored up blessings in Christ, that they are actually and eternally theirs; for, as the Apostle says, "all things are yours." It is "their food" then; that is, the food specially to the elect. Blood shed for their sins, and for their sins only; righteousness brought in for them, and for them only; love bestowed upon them, and upon them only; promises revealed for their comfort, and for their comfort only; an eternal inheritance, "incorruptible and undefiled, and that fades not away, reserved in heaven for them," and for them only. It is "their food," because it is theirs in Christ, being lodged in Christ for their benefit.

But it is theirs in another sense; and that is, they are the only people who hunger after it, who have an appetite for it, who have a mouth to feed upon it, who have a stomach to digest it. They are the only people whose eyes are really open to see what "food" is. Others feed upon shadows; they know nothing of the savory food of the gospel. As the Lord said to his disciples, "I have food to eat which you know not of." His food was the hidden communications of God's love, the visitations of his Father's presence, the divine communion that he enjoyed with his Father while the disciples were gone away, "to do the will of him that sent him, and to finish his work."

So, for the children of God, there is food in Christ; and this food the Lord gives them a hunger after. He not only sets before their eyes what the food is, but he kindles inexpressible longings in their soul to be fed therewith. God's people cannot feed upon husks, nor upon ashes, nor upon chaff, nor upon the east wind, nor upon grapes of gall and the bitter clusters of Gomorrah (Deuteronomy 32:32). They must have "food," "savory food such as their soul loves," that which God himself communicates, and which his hand alone can bring down, and give unto them, so that they may receive it from him as their soul-satisfying portion.

January 27