Lyrics
Verse 1
Father, supply my every need,
Sustain the life thyself hast given,
Call for the never-failing bread,
The manna that comes down from heaven.
Verse 2
The gracious fruits of righteousness,
Thy blessings' unexhausted store,
In me abundantly increase;
Nor ever let me hunger more.
Verse 3
Let me no more, in deep complaint,
"My leanness, O my leanness!" cry;
Alone consumed with pining want,
Of all my Father's children, I.
Verse 4
The painful thirst, the fond desire,
Thy joyous presence shall remove;
But my full soul shall still require
A whole eternity of love.
Video
Meaning & Inspiration
This four-stanza hymn is a prayer to the Father for daily provision, both physical and spiritual. The opening asks Him to sustain the life He has given and to call for "the never-failing bread", the manna that comes down from heaven, language that recalls Israel's manna in the wilderness and Jesus' teaching about the bread of life.
The second stanza asks for the fruits of righteousness to increase without limit, and the third rejects a complaining spirit, quoting a cry of "My leanness, O my leanness!" drawn from Isaiah 24:16. The last stanza promises that God's joyous presence will remove painful thirst, while a full soul will go on needing "A whole eternity of love".
The plain, archaic wording is typical of Charles Wesley's hymn style, and the hymn works well as a morning or mealtime prayer.
Related Scripture
- John 6:35 Jesus calls Himself the bread of life, who satisfies hunger and thirst, the theme of the first and fourth stanzas.
- Exodus 16:4 God promises bread from heaven for Israel, the manna of the opening stanza.
- Matthew 5:6 Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled, matching the second stanza.