As I read the poem “The Cry of the Heathen”, I wondered as to what the Cry is for. The Cry as you can read in the poem is an yearning for the Desire of every nation to come, lest they die. The Desire of every nation is the promised One of God as expressed through His prophet Haggai. Who is the Desire of every nation? The prophet Haggai records that the LORD of hosts will shake the nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and God will fill his temple with glory (Haggai 2:7). When the Desire of all nations comes, God will fill his house (temple) with glory. When Jesus entered into the temple at Jerusalem, he cleansed it and restored it to be the house of prayer. Following that, interestingly, the Bible records that the blind and the lame came to Him at the temple and He healed them (Matthew 21:13-14). Jesus does the same when he comes into our lives (for we are the temple of God). He cleanses us, and restores us to have communion (prayer dialog) with God and those who could not see (blind) or were unable to walk in the Spirit (lame) are healed to see Him, Jesus Christ, the Desire of all nations and walk in newness of life.

Sudden, before my inward, open vision,
Millions of faces crowded up to view;
Sad eyes that said, “For us is no provision;
Give us your Saviour, too.”

“Give us,” they cry, “your cup of consolation.
Never to our outstretching hands ’tis passed;
We long for the Desire of every nation,
And, O, we die so fast.”

Now to those of us who know Jesus Christ, the Desire of all nations, are we responding to the Cry of the Heathen; a Cry that is calling for our Savior, so they don’t die (spiritually without knowing Jesus Christ)?

Haggai 2:7 (KJV)
7And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts.