Psalm 81:10 I am the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt: open your mouth wide, and I will fill it. In our text we have God coming very near to His people, and coming near them to encourage them to come nearer to Him. We have the Lord speaking to them, that they may speak to Him. He opens His mouth to them, that they may open their mouths to Him. I. GOD ENCOURAGING HIS PEOPLE by saying, "Open thy mouth wide." 1. I suppose that the Lord means by this exhortation, first of all, to help us to get rid of the paralyzing influence of fear. A man, in the presence of one whom he dreads, cannot speak boldly; and if he has been guilty of some great crime, and stands before one whom he regards as his judge, he is like the man in our Lord's parable, "speechless." A man on his knees, conscious of his sin, fearing the justice of God, would very naturally be unable to speak; and to encourage him God says, "Open thy mouth; be not afraid." 2. Next, "Open thy mouth wide"; that is, speak freely in prayer to God, be not hampered in thy pleading. I have known children of God who have felt a terrible awe in the presence of the Lord. We want freedom, and liberty of access to God, when we come before the mercy-seat; and the Lord therefore encourages His people to break loose from all their shackles when He says, "Open thy mouth wide." 3. It must also mean, ask great things: "Open thy mouth wide." The greater the thing that you ask, the more sure you are to have it. With men it is, usually, the smaller the favour you crave, the more likely you are to obtain it; but with God it is the other way. There is nothing greater to ask for than Christ, and thou mayest have Christ for the asking, for God has already given Him to all who believe. 4. I think that it also means that we are to feel intense desires: "Open thy mouth." Whenever a man speaks with very great earnestness, he opens his mouth widely. 5. Exercise a great expectancy. Consider — (1) God's greatness. (2) His goodness. (3) The channel by which mercies come to thee: Christ Jesus thy Lord. (4) That the Holy Spirit is the Author of true prayer. (5) The greatness of thy wants. (6) God's exceeding great and precious promises. II. Observe GOD USING TWO GREAT ARGUMENTS. "Open thy mouth wide" — 1. Because of what God has done. Child of God, this text belongs peculiarly to you. "I am Jehovah, thy God." He has revealed Himself to thee; He has chosen thee, and thou hast chosen Him. Now, canst thou not open thy mouth wide to thine own God, to Jehovah, the great "I am" the boundless, the infinite, the Almighty God, canst thou not speak freely to Him? And then it is added, "I am Jehovah, thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt." Now, that is the greatest thing that God could do for His people, and, if He has done that, will He not do the lesser things? 2. Because of what God will do. "I will fill it." The story goes that the Shah of Persia, a strange man altogether, on one occasion said to a person who had pleased him very greatly, "Open your mouth," and when he had opened his mouth, the Shah began to fill it up with diamonds, emeralds, rubies, and all sorts of precious stones. I feel morally certain that the man opened his mouth wide. Would not you do the same if you had such an opportunity? Now, the Lord says to each of His own people, whom He has so highly favoured, "Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it." Suppose you open your mouth wide in prayer. "I cannot," says one. Well, open your mouth, and God will fill it with prayer; and then, when you have prayed the prayer that He has given you, He will fill it with answers. God gives prayer as well as the answer to prayer. Only open your mouth, and, as it were, make a vacuum for God to fill. God loves to look for emptiness where He may stow away His grace. When you have done that, then open your mouth with praise. The praise of God is something like Mr. Bunyan's 'Pilgrim's Progress.' He began to write, he says, and he does not know how he wrote so much; but he quaintly says, "As I pulled, it came"; and you will find it is so with the praise of God. Praise Him, and you will praise Him. If you do not praise Him, you never will praise Him. If you do not begin, you will never keep on; but once open the sluices of gratitude, and the streams will flow more and more copiously every hour. "Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it." ( C. H. Spurgeon.) Parallel Verses KJV: I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it. |
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