Scripture:
Psalm 81: 10-12
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. 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.
Observation:
These three verses spoke to me as I read and re-read these three Psalms. Psalm 80 details a shepherding of Israel with the realities and goal of being corrected by God. Psalm 81 is a call for renewal and an invitation to enjoy God’s goodness with Psalm 82 calling for a challenge by God on how to act and care for others.
What spoke to me about these three verses in Psalm 81 is not just that God wants to provide for us. But that we have to have an active part in this. God wants to provide for us. Not in a prosperity way but rather in a way that satisfies all of our needs abundantly. In verse 10 He instructs the Israelites to open their mouths wide and he will fill it. For 40 years, God provided food for Moses and all of the Israelites in the desert. Now he is saying that he will continue to fill His people with his spiritual goodness.
Verse 10 clearly states that God is instructing His people to do something. In this case, Israel was to do 3 things: Listen, Obey, Act. Verse 11 indicates that they did not listen, did not obey and, as a result, verse 12 indicates that there are consequences.
Application:
1. I must listen
2. I must submit and obey
3. I must act according to HIS desires, not mine. His wisdom, not mine.
God tells us what to do. In this case he clearly asked Israel to open their mouths. Not just open them but open them wide. Far too often God tells me exactly what to do but, like Israel, I am too busy, too proud and/or to self-reliant to listen and obey. Time after time, I suffer the consequences of my inability to listen and trust that He knows what is best for me and that He is sufficient for all of my needs. While that is bad enough, far too often I do listen and then don’t obey what He says. Like Paul, I want to obey but my weak mind and weak will lead me down paths of disobedience. You would think I would learn. You would think that after all these years of missing out on what God has in store for me I would finally get it but I don’t. I still have times that I think I can go it alone. I still have times that I think I know what’s best and when it is best. When will I learn?
Prayer:
Father, let me turn to you. You do not abandon us. You do not flee from us. You are waiting for us to come to you and obey. Help me to realize that you are all I need. You provide the wisdom, the guidance and the love that I need to be filled.