Open Wide Your Mouth

I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it…you would be fed with the finest of wheat; with honey from the rock I would satisfy you. (Ps 81:10,16)

In this psalm the Lord reminds Israel that he will vanquish all their foes and fill their every need, if only they will listen and obey him. These verses evoke the days in the wilderness when God fed the people manna, the mysterious bread from heaven that “tasted like wafers made with honey.” (Ex 16:31) At no other time were they ever more dependent on him, and God sustained them with consistent, daily miracles.

Why do I often fail to be receptive to what God wants to do for me? What command could be simpler than “open wide your mouth?” Perhaps because when you open your mouth really wide you can’t see too well what’s about to be placed in it: honey wafers or bitter herbs. I miss out on God’s blessing because I do not want to give up control. I must practice a child-like faith. I must learn to trust his goodness and his mercy.

Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! (Mt 7:9-11)

Who Am I That I Should Go?

But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” (Ex 3:11)

We criticize Moses for being reluctant to obey, but actually he is asking an excellent question here. When God commanded Moses to go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt, the worst thing Moses could have done is charge in on his own to obey. It would have been foolhardy for Moses to rely on his position as a former prince of Egypt, or his skill as a warrior, or any other worldly ability. By asking “Who am I” he rightly recognizes that on his own he is doomed to fail. But it was not God’s intention for Moses to go alone. God’s reply to Moses is, “I will be with you.” (v12)

Now Moses should have said, “Yes, Lord.” But he continued to question God’s command. When we reply to the Lord’s command by saying, “But, but, but…” we must understand we are no longer doubting ourselves; we are doubting God. He is fully able to accomplish in us whatever work he commands us to perform. Thank you, Lord, that you choose us, inadequate vessels that we are, to do your will. Teach me not to doubt that even with all my flaws you can do great things through me. Amen.

The Arrogance of Man

The arrogance of man will be brought low and the pride of men humbled; the Lord alone will be exalted in that day. (Is 2:17)

All the things man prides himself in, his lofty towers (v15) and stately vessels (v16), will count for nothing in the Day of the Lord. Today we have wealth and power unimaginable in the days of Isaiah, but it will still count for nothing. As our power has increased so has our pride. This is a special temptation for Americans, I think. It is easy for gratitude for our blessings to slip into pride in our wealth and power. They had their towers and their stately vessels; we have our skyscrapers and our aircraft carriers. But God says:

Men will flee to caves in the rocks and to holes in the ground from dread of the Lord and the splendor of his majesty when he rises to shake the earth. (v19)

And so we must trust only in God:

Stop trusting in man, who has but a breath in his nostrils. Of what account is he? (v22)

Sometimes I Need To Fail

As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. (Ex 17:11)

I remember being very impressed with this story when I was a little boy in Sunday School. It seemed like such an amazing miracle. Of course, I'm not sure I got the point. Looking at it now I can see how God wanted the Israelites to know it was not their own prowess in battle that won the fight. God gives the victory. In this first battle after the Exodus, God wanted to drive that point home. And the sign he used was significant – Moses raising his hands to entreat the help of God and acknowledge his lordship.

Now it occurs to me to wonder, was the miracle that God caused them to win when Moses raised his arms, or that God caused them to lose when Moses lowered them? There must be times in our lives when we are trusting in our own strength, and God must see to it that we fail so we do not draw the wrong lesson from it. Perhaps especially in this culture, dependence on God is a hard-won lesson. In every one of us beats the heart of a little child who wants to say, “See, Daddy! I did it all by myself!” That is laudable in our children, because we want them to grow up. When they do they will be adults like us, and every bit as competent to live independently as we are. But our relationship with God is different. We are not his equal, and never will be. It is the height of folly to imagine that we can live independently from him. Lord, help me to see how much I need you and embrace that dependence. I lift my hands to acknowledge that you are my Lord and I need you.

The Secret to Sanctification

It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. (Ps 18:32)

We make much of obedience, and rightly so. Sanctification is the process of being conformed to his image and obedient to his will. But we must not forget that it is God who sanctifies us. It is the Holy Spirit who gives me strength to face each challenge and trains me in righteousness. The secret to sanctification is utter dependence on him.

Only You, Lord

Come all you who are thirsty, come to the waters. (Is 55:1a)
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. (Ps 42:2a)

I long for God; I yearn for God. I know that nothing else will satisfy the thirst in my soul. No one else can heal the ache in my heart. Nothing else satisfies at all. I have tasted and seen that the Lord is good. (Ps 34:8) Only he can deliver me from my fears. (Ps 34:4) Lord, when I forget, when I grow complacent, bring me back to this place. Remind me of my utter dependence on you. Amen.

We're Not As Smart As We Think

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. (Pr 3:5-6)

A great and famous passage and rightly so. I want to focus on “lean not on your own understanding.” This is a continual temptation for me, Lord. Help me always to remember that your thoughts are so high and your understanding so vast it is folly for me to rely on my own intellect to guide me. I want to use the gifts you have given me, but always with a heart that is devoted to you and ears tuned to hear your voice.