S. OPEN THY MOUTH WIDE, AND I WILL FILL IT”. Psalm 81:10
“Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it”
Psalms 81:10 An Address delivered at a Prayer-meeting at Salem Chapel, Bristol, on Monday Evening, August 14th, 1871. THIS word should be continually present to our hearts. We all have our necessities of one kind or another, and every child of God has many things about which he has need to speak to God. And our gracious God speaks here to each one of His children: “Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it,”—now ask much at my hands, look for much from me, bring great requests before me, I am God and not man; it is the very joy and delight of my heart to give abundantly. If we were privileged to go to a great person for anything, we should not ask for twopence-halfpenny, nor two shillings only, but much more; it would be an insult to ask for so little. And if we were allowed freely to make our requests before the sovereign, we should be ashamed, or ought to be, to make only trifling requests. But the mighty ones of the earth are as nothing compared with Jehovah; and if we would give joy to the heart of God, we must ask great things at His hands, and expect great things from Him. This is taught us in the figurative expression, “Open thy mouth wide,” and the promise is, “I will fill it.” Let any one act according to the exhortation, and most assuredly God will fulfil the promise. Let us look about, and see when in any measure we have been able to act according to this word, whether God was not as good as His word; and let us remember that if He has not yet gratified our requests, it does not follow that He will not. Let us only wait still on Him expectingly, perseveringly, for the glory of God, in the name of Jesus, and we shall see how He will fulfil this word,—” I will fill it.” How touching are those words in the same psalm, where God says,—
“Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways! I should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries. The haters of the Lord should have submitted themselves unto Him: but their time should have endured for ever. He should have fed them also with the finest of the wheat: and with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied thee.” Psalms 81:13-16
It is the very joy and delight of the heart of God to do us good; and we are here taught that God is willing to give us everything really good for us.