People often have many misconceptions about God. He’s often presented as a “kill-joy” just waiting for people to enjoy life so He can spoil it. Too often people consider Him as stingy, not willing to give us what we need. Nothing could be further from the truth. God delights to give us good things. In fact, the Bible is clear that if we do not have it’s because we do not ask, or when we ask it’s simply to spend it upon our passions and not to bear fruit to His glory.
James 4:2–3 (ESV) — 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.
Instead of dwelling on why God may not be answering our prayers in the way we would like, let’s turn to the call of God to open our mouth wide as we consider the wonderful promise God made in Psalm 81.
Psalm 81:10 (ESV) — 10 I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.
Don’t miss the promise in this little verse as God backs up His promise with a statement of what He has already done for His people. Namely, He brought them out of the bondage of Egypt. He set them free. This is exactly what the Lord Jesus Christ has done. He set us free from the bondage of sin, the devil, and death as He died for us on the cross.
Romans 3:23–26 (ESV) — 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
Romans 8:32 (ESV) — 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?
This is why Paul connected the fact that God the Father has demonstrated His great love for us in giving the Lord Jesus Christ to be our propitiation that we can know, as ancient Israel might know, that God is for us and if He is for us as He is, then we should be delighted to enjoy the promise to “open our mouths wide” in response to Him that He might fill it.
The picture in mind is that of the baby birds in the nest as mother bird returns to the nest with food for the chicks. The baby birds find a way to open their mouths what appears to be 180 degrees, as far as they can open so they don’t miss anything. So, what would that look like from us? Our mouths are wide open as we demonstrate trust, obedience, faithfulness, commitment, righteousness, patience, and contentment in Him.
Psalm 37:3–7 (ESV) — 3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. 4 Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. 6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. 7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!
Of course, those demonstrations of our faith in Him come not by human ingenuity or power, rather by the working of the Holy Spirit of God as sometimes referred to as “the fruit of the Spirit.” Fruit of the Spirit flows out of His work in us and through us as we depend upon Him.
Galatians 5:22–23 (ESV) — 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Again, notice the promise that God makes to us:
Psalm 81:10 (ESV) — 10 I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.
We are told that what was written in former days was written to give wisdom and insight of what we should do and what we should avoid.
Romans 15:4 (ESV) — 4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
As you think of God’s great promise in Psalm 81:10, you also should take into consideration what was said after that so you don’t fall into the trap of missing out on God’s pleasure.
Psalm 81:11–16 (ESV) — 11 “But my people did not listen to my voice; Israel would not submit to me. 12 So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own counsels. 13 Oh, that my people would listen to me, that Israel would walk in my ways! 14 I would soon subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes. 15 Those who hate the Lord would cringe toward him, and their fate would last forever. 16 But he would feed you with the finest of the wheat, and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”
What a sad commentary from the people who had been blessed by God to not listen and who did not submit to Him! Before you cast a stone or sneer toward the people of Israel, we need to ask ourselves: “How well do I listen to God in His word and take heed to His commands?” “How often do I resist His call to submit to Him by presenting a stiff neck and a hard heart as I live insensitive to the Holy Spirit? The bottom line, when we live independently, is we fail to listen and submit to Him and in doing so we forsake the matchless blessings that go with living in total dependence upon Him.
Which is it going to be? Live independent and stubborn and miss out on God’s blessings or live life depending upon God in everything? It’s best to keep your mouth open wide.
John 15:5 (ESV) — 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
Philippians 4:13 (ESV) — 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
Godspeed,
Bob Brubaker, Pastor
Christ Community Presbyterian Church
Clearwater, FL
