Psalms 81:10
10 I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.
Verse 10 is the axis on which this psalm pivots from pleasant to tragic. Verses 1-9 are reminders of all God had done for the Nation of Israel. We are reminded of his faithfulness to Joseph, and how he delivered him and the nation of Israel from the burdens of Egyptian servitude. Then He reminds them of the water he gave from the Rock at Meribah in the wilderness. Our verse Sums up the mightiness of God by saying “I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of Egypt.” That is what precedes this command to open our mouths wide, the mightiness of God.
Sadly what comes after this verse is Israel's failure to follow this command, “But my people would not hearken to my voice.” God brought them to the mountain top of deliverance and opportunity and they failed to listen to his command, they failed to open their mouths wide in expectation, in prayer, in praise, in being fed from God above. So what did they do instead? “So I gave them up to their own lust: and they walked in their own counsel.” They filled themselves with expectations, desires, knowledge, and counsel and God let them have what they wanted. In verse 13 God exclaims “Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways!”
This verse was not only a pivotal point for the nation of Israel in days gone by but is a pivotal point in the lives of many Christians. God saves us, delivers us from the servitude of Satan and his kingdom. He feeds us with manna from heaven, he gives us drink from the spiritual rock and brings us right up to the mountain top following him and says open your mouth wide. This is not a one-time event in the life of a Christian, but we come to this point often, God has stretched our Faith to trust him, and he says trust me more, He has stretched our hearts to love and he says love more, He has stretched us to give and he says to give more, in other words, open thy mouth wide. He has proven that he can fill it if we do so, and yet we fear to open it wider than before.What does it mean to open our mouths wide? To open it to receive larger portions of his graces. I remember leaving my job to go on deputation, there was no promise of income, no promise of success, the only thing I was sure of was that God was saying “Open your mouth wide.” Like a child who fears trying a new food, the parent says open up, but they resist until reluctantly their mouth opens. It is filled with what they thought would be horrible but it turns out to be wonderful and so the mouth opens again and again until not only the mouth is filled but even the belly. This is one example of many that could be given but the point is there is nowhere to go but down from this point. If God has brought you to the precipice of greater faith, greater love, greater mercy, graces not yet experienced, graces that you don’t presently possess, then it is time to open your mouth. Love that person beyond your means, go beyond your faith to do so, and show mercy to those you don’t think you can. In other words, “Open your mouth wide.”
If you will open your mouth wide you have this promise “I will fill it.” I have found this true time and time again. Those new ventures of faith that I truly did not have the faith for, I opened my mouth in prayer and he filled it with faith, faith enough to go. Those people I truly didn’t have love enough in my heart to love, I opened my mouth in prayer and he filled not only my mouth with his love but my heart with his love. Oh how mighty he is! He has all that we could ever need! Do you lack the faith to Go? Then open thy mouth and he will fill it. Do you lack love to labor? Open thy mouth and he will fill it! Do you lack forgiveness toward others? Open thy mouth wide and he will fill it!
If you are there today struggling between opening your mouth toward the Lord or filling yourself examine the path that has brought you thus far. God pointed Israel to the past, to remember all the mercies that paved their way and God’s faithfulness to do in times past what he is asking them to do presently. So should we look back and recall his ability to do what he says he will do. Look back to Egypt, when you labored hard under satans whips, look back to the wilderness of doubt and hard paths when from the rock he cooled your thirsting soul, Dear child look back to the path that has brought you thus far and be reminded of God’s ability to fill you beyond your means to do what you could never do in the first place!
Then take a look toward the path of self-indulgence, look down the path Israel took when they filled themselves. Idolatry, dead religion, and eventually a total collapse of their nation. Look at the lives of others in the church who have come to the same precipice you are at today and they took the path of self-indulgence, idolatry, dead religion, and soon a total collapse. “O that my people had hearkened unto me: and walked in my ways.”
Dear child of God, If you are at the peak of greater faith, greater love, greater graces. Graces beyond your means and measure, graces that you fear to say yes to, Graces that require enlarged hearts, bolder faith, deeper draughts of forgiveness, then have no fear, open your mouth in obedience. Go and he will provide the faith needed, give and he will provide the means to give, forgive and he will provide the forgiveness, love and he will enlarge your heart to love more. In other words “Open thy mouth wide and I will fill it.”
Comentarios