“For I, the LORD your God, have delivered you out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide and fill it with good things” (Psalm 81:10).
Moments of pain bring me to my knees. Is this what Jesus felt? Whether it is the pain of physical ailment or illness, or the agony of betrayal and heartbreak, Jesus can understand. Even though pain is inevitable on this side of heaven, God does not want such things for us. His plan for our lives is good, and Jesus died so that we could live fully. How is our reality reconciled with the goodness of God? By Jesus.
The Psalm verse featured in this piece proclaims that the Lord will fill us with good things. We, his people. God’s desire for our lives is not to fall victim to the discouragement we experience throughout our lives, but to choose to focus on the good things with which He simultaneously fills our lives. He’s good. Everything He created is good. When he looks at us, he sees the good creation he has made, to do the good things he has proposed for us!
What does “open your mouth wide” mean?
Opening your mouth wide refers to how God provided manna to his people in the wilderness as they traveled from Egypt to the Promised Land. He then provided for their needs and reminded them: He is still God! He is still their supplier. “The Lord wants his people to listen to him,” explains the ESV Comprehensive Study Bible, “to receive the covenant as an expression of his grace, to believe in him, and to live according to his guidance.” God wants us to realize that He is trustworthy, faithful and good. He never broke a promise and he loves us just as we are.
God is reliable. Opening your mouth wide means allowing God to do what He has always done: provide for our needs. He will always make a way. This has always been the case. He will always love us. This has always been the case. “Just as he fed the people with manna in the desert of Egypt, so God commanded: “Open your mouth wide and I will fill it, not with manna this time, but with his own goodness. » (Rydelnik, Valaningham, Barbieri et al., 2014b) He fills our lives with goodness, but we are often too distracted by the bad things in life to see it – to see Him.
What are the “good things” that God wants for us?
“Do not get drunk with wine, for that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and make music to the Lord in your hearts. And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord. Jesus Christ» (Ephesians 5:18-20).
Whether we struggle with addiction, pornography, honesty, fidelity, prideselfishness, jealousy, arrogance – God still loves us. He knows the path of life perfectly, and it is not sin. Jesus died to enable us to receive the good things with which God fills our lives. A gift is not a gift if it is not received. It is our choice to embrace the gift of God – Jesus. He is the way. Thanks to Him, we are filled with the Spirit that Paul spoke of to the Corinthians. Filling ourselves with worship and rejoicing, embracing the joy that is ours in Christ. Being filled with the Spirit is much nicer than being filled with anything this earth could offer. Jerry Vines explains:
“Every believer must be filled with the Holy Spirit. We cannot think about it, vote for it, or consider it. The form of the verse is a direct command: ‘Be filled with the Spirit.’ neither is the Spirit reserved for a privileged few. It is for every believer.
The voice paraphrases from Ephesians 5:18-20 bed :
“Do not drink wine excessively. The path of drunkenness is a reckless path. It leads nowhere. Instead, let God fill you with the Holy Spirit. When you are filled with the Spirit, you have the power to speak to one another in moving words of pious songs, hymns, and spiritual songs; to sing and make music with all your heart listening to God; and to give thanks to God the Father every day in the name of our Lord Jesus the Anointed for all that he has done.
God wants the fruit of the Spirit to flow from our lives, evidence of the filling of the Holy Spirit.
Who does God speak to?
“As for me, it doesn’t matter how I might be assessed by you or any human authority. I don’t even trust my own judgment on this point” (1 Corinthians 4:3).
Throughout the Old Testament, God spoke to His chosen people, the Israelites. Living in the New Testament, we are all grafted into the family of God through Christ Jesus. Everyone has the opportunity to open their mouth wide to let themselves be filled by God. All it takes is salvation through Christ, something none of us can earn or accomplish. Christ has already done it, once and for all. We are all invited to accept Christ and follow him into the presence of God. He opened the way for us. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.
Paul continues in his letter to the Corinthians explaining why it is important not to judge others on their journey:
“My conscience is clear, but that does not prove that I am right. It is the Lord Himself who will examine me and decide. So do not pass judgment on anyone in advance – before the Lord returns. For He will bring to light our darkest secrets and reveal our private motives. Then God will give everyone their due praise” (1 Corinthians 4:4-5).
When we can look around us, whether at the people we love or the people we don’t love so much, and realize that we are all loved equally by God, we will begin to understand the absurdity of comparison and jealousy. No one is the same in this world, but we all have the same opportunity to embrace life through Christ:
“If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are justified before God, and by openly declaring your faith you are saved” (Romans 10:9-10).
If we open our hearts to Him, God will fill us to the brim and overflow. He is all we need and all we seek.
Sources
Rydelnik, M., Vanlaningham, M., Barbieri, LA, Boyle, M., Coakley, J., Dyer, CH, Finkbeiner, D., Goodrich, JK, Green, D., Hart, JF, Jelinek, J., Koessler, JM, Marty, WH, Mayhew, EJ, McCord, W., McMath, J., Neely, W., O‘Neal, B., Peterman, G.W., . . . Zuber, K.D. (2014b). The Moody Bible Commentary (New). Bad-tempered editors
Bibles, E. and Chua, H.C. (2018). ESV Global Study Bible (illustrated). Crossing.
Bible notes from the exhibition of the vineyards. Copyright © 2020 by Jerry Vines.
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Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Mint Images – Tim Robbins
