At the Tabernacle, Moorfields.
Modernized by Cliff Collins
“Open your mouth wide,
and I will fill it.” (Psalms 81:10)
God
addressed these words to the Church.
The psalm that contains this passage doesn’t need explaining. Therefore, I will say that this passage,
which is addressed to the Church, is also addressed to individual
Christians. Whenever a promise or an
injunction applies to the Church, it also applies to each individual in the
Church. This reveals to us the
principle on which God deals with His people.
The spirit of what is written here is even truer. In briefly considering this subject, I will
show:
I.
WHAT THE WORDS OF THIS PASSAGE MEANS.
II.
WHAT IT IMPLIES.
III.
WHAT ITS RELATIONSHIP IS TO OUR RESPONSIBILITIES.
I.
WHAT THE WORDS OF THIS PASSAGE MEANS.
Of
course, it is figurative: “Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it”. Does it mean to literally open your mouth
wide and He will fill it with something without us knowing what?
“I
am the Lord your God, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt”.
This
was addressed to the Church of old, and the spirit of it is addressed to the
Church throughout the ages. The eighth
verse says, “Hear, O My people, and I will admonish you! O Israel, if you will
listen to Me! There shall be no foreign
god among you; Nor shall you worship any foreign god. I am the Lord your God, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt;
Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.”
The language, then, is figurative, and should be understood in the
following ways.
God
wants us to ask great things of Him.
The injunction is not just, “Open your mouth”, but open it wide; open it
as wide as you can. We understand from
this that God wants us to ask great things of Him, as great as we can
conceive. We are merely creatures,
therefore our conceptions are low, and the spirit of this injunction tells us
that we should ask great things of our heavenly Father. With our finite powers, we can conceive of
Him “Who is able to do for us abundantly above all that we can ask or
think”. Let the request be so great, He
can grant it. In your prayers to Him
therefore, “open your mouth wide”. Ask
for things as great as you can conceive.
Another
thing we should understand by this language is that we should expect those
great things that we ask for. We are
required to ask believing, expecting that He will give us the things that we
ask.
The
spirit of this injunction also means that we should try to accomplish great
things for God. We are to ask
earnestly, to ask largely, to ask perseveringly in order that we may honor and
glorify Him. Here, I might add, we are
to understand that all our petitions must be addressed in the name of Christ
from right motives.
II.
WHAT IT IMPLIES.
The
injunction “open your mouth wide” is followed by the promise “and I will fill
it”.
This
language implies that God is interested in us.
What would motivate Him to say this to us if He were not interested in
us? Why should He exhort us to open our
mouths wide and ask of Him great things if He has no interest in us? This language must surely imply that for
some reason or other, He has great interest in His Church, and, of course, in
each individual in His Church.
It
implies that He is interested in those things He requires us to do. He is interested in giving us the great
things that He has promised, and once we possess them, He will enable us to do
what He requires of us.
God’s
Full Provision
God
has made provision for us in every situation.
He does not require great things of His people without promising the
grace to help them perform that which He requires of them. But He does require many and great things of
His people. He requires them to go
forth to conquer the world, and many other things He requires of them in the
various relationships that they sustain to the world and to society.
Now,
don’t complain that you cannot accomplish what’s required of you, that you
can’t do this or that because of your littleness or insufficiency. For God says, open your mouth wide for the
ability to do His will and He will fill it.
He will enable you to do what is required of you. I say, then, that this language implies His
interest in us personally, and that He is greatly interested in giving us the
things that we ask for. He is quite
able out of His fullness to supply all our need, to give us everything we need
to enable us to accomplish everything He requires of us.
This
language is addressed to different groups of people who maintain particular
relationships involving special and particular circumstances in life. For example, it is addressed to local
authorities, ministers, parents, and private Christians. Whatever the circumstances, this language
relates to your particular needs: “open your mouth wide, and I will fill
it”.
It
is extremely important for you to understand that God is interested in
everybody. He considers all
things. He placed us in our various
relationships; therefore, He must be interested in us. He is able to make His grace sufficient to
enable us to do all that is required of us so we may honor and glorify His
name. People can never be too well
assured of this: “I am Jehovah, your God.”
What is implied by “Your
God”? “Open your mouth wide,” therefore,
“and I will fill it”. These words apply
to every individual in every relationship.
Now,
think of what your relationships are.
Think of your circumstances, your peculiar trials, your difficulties and
responsibilities, and the duties you are called on to perform, no matter what
they are. Only understand that God is
addressing you by name, old or young, rich or poor, influential or otherwise,
it does not matter. Only understand
that God saying to you, “I am Jehovah, your God: open your mouth wide, and I
will fill it.” He is interested in your
maintaining these responsibilities in a manner worthy of Him, and worthy of being
a child of God.
I
have often thought of the magnitude of unbelief. The unbelief of many is so great that they completely overlook the
secret depths of meaning that the promises of God contain, and they stumble at
some of the simplest things in the Bible.
Suppose
the King of England sends his son to travel on the Continent or to America, and
says to him, “Now, son, you will be among strangers, so remember your great
responsibilities: you are my son, and you are my representative. When the
people see you they will form an opinion of me, and they will naturally
determine my character very much by yours.
Now, remember, wherever you are, that the eyes of the people are on you
and my honor is concerned with your behavior.
I am very interested in you; first, because you are my son; and second,
because you are to be my representative among those who do not know me
personally. Don’t misrepresent me. Therefore, that is why I want you to conduct
yourself like a prince, and to help you do so, I will always provide the
means. Remember never to exercise any
kind of economy that will disgrace your father and the nation you represent. Draw on me freely. Of course, you will not
squander money foolishly on your own selfish desires, for such conduct would
disgrace yourself and dishonor me: but everything you need to fully represent
the Sovereign of England, you can have.
Draw freely and abundantly. Always
remember this!”
Now
observe, God has placed His people here in a world of strangers to Him. He has placed them in various
relationships. He has admonished them
to remember that they are His children and they are also His representatives in
this world. God says to them, “I have
placed you in these relationships so that you may honor Me. I love you as My own children. I have given My Son to redeem you, and thus
I have proved My personal love and concern for you. I always desire that you should walk worthy of the important work
that you are called to do. Remember,
you are My representatives in the midst of' a rebellious world; therefore, let
your light so shine before men, that others, seeing your good works, may
glorify your Father Who is in heaven.”
(See Matt 7:11; John 3:16; I Cor 7:20; Matt 12:39-45; Matt 5:16)
God’s
own interest in us leads Him to tell us to ask largely of Him. His inherent regard for us as our Father and
as His redeemed children is very great. Indeed, from every point of view, He
has the deepest interest in us. So that
we may not dishonor Him, He tells us He will give us all the grace we need to
meet our responsibilities and accomplish our duties. “Open your mouths wide,” He says, “and I will fill them. I will supply all your needs. l am glad to do it. I delight to do it. I am interested in doing it.”
Now,
don’t you ever forget this. Ask largely
enough. Ask confidently enough, and ask
perseveringly enough to meet all your needs.
I don’t think anyone here will call into question the truth of any of
these principles.
These
words, “open your mouth wide, and I will fill it,” implies that provision is
made to supply your needs, and that God’s capability is so great that He’s not
afraid we’ll need anything, or be able to conceive of anything, beyond His
power to grant. Hence, He tells us that
His grace is sufficient for us. Observe, He does not caution us about asking
too much, but He tells us here, as in many other passages in the Bible, to make
our requests unlimited: “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you
will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.” (John 15:7)
Of course it means, “What you desire” for a right reason, not for a
selfish and improper reason.
We
are not restricted at all in Him. God
never intends that we should hesitate to accomplish anything that He requires
of us. We are not restricted in Him,
for He says, “open your mouth wide, and I will fill it”. In any of the circumstances or relationships
that we become involved in, or whatever we are called on to accomplish, we
should never regard ourselves restricted in Him.
If
He requires His people to go forth to conquer the world, they are abundantly
able to take possession of the land. We
are to have confidence in Him, and to take possession of it in His name and in
His strength. If He tells us to compass
the city and blow ram's horns, the walls of Jericho shall surely tumble
down. There is no doubt about it.
This
injunction and promise also implies that if we fail to perfectly represent or
obey Him in every respect, and to be and do what He requires of us in all
things, the fault is not His but ours.
We can’t blame it on “the mysterious sovereignty of God”, for the fault
is ours. If we fail, it is not because
God by any arbitrary sovereignty withheld the power, but because, in fact, in
the possession of our liberty we failed to believe and appropriate the
promises.
God
Is Honored By Big Requests
This
injunction and promise implies that God considers Himself honored by the
largeness of our requests. If we ask
for something small, it shows that we find ourselves either unable or unwilling
to expect or believe any great thing from Him.
What does it imply when people ask small favors of God? I know very well what people say. They are so unworthy that they cannot expect
to receive any great things in answer to their meager requests. But is this real humility, or is it a
voluntary humility? Is it a commendable
state of mind? “Our prayers are so
poor, so unworthy, that we can’t expect to receive much in answer to them;
therefore, we don’t have enough confidence to ask great things, and so we only
ask for small things that we may without presumption expect to receive.” Is this the right frame of mind?
God
denounces this kind of willful humility: it is
self-righteousness. What state of mind
must an individual be in, who, instead of measuring his requests by the
greatness of God’s mercies, the greatness of His promises and the largeness of
His heart, measures his requests by his own worthiness or unworthiness? If an individual measures his requests by
such a standard, he’ll ask for nothing better than hell, and he may expect
nothing better. This applies to
everybody who makes themselves the standard of their requests. But if we are to rely on God’s promises,
God’s faithfulness, God’s abounding grace in Christ Jesus and God’s eternal
love, then there are infinite blessings in store for His people, which the goodness
of His heart is trying to give to them.
So all our great unworthiness can do is commend us to God’s grace and
mercy! Therefore, whenever we ask great
things of God, and expect great things from Him, we honor Him. It is if we say, “Lord, although we are
infinitely unholy and unworthy of Your blessings, yet we will not judge what
You are willing to give us by our unworthiness, but by Your wonderful love to
the world as shown in the gift of Your own and well-loved Son, our Lord Jesus
Christ. Therefore, we will not ask for
small things from so great a God. We
will ask great things because it is in Your heart to give them, and You find it
more blessed to give than we do to receive.” Now, it is by this sort of confidence
that we honor God!
Some
ask scantily, sparingly, for fear of overtaxing or over-burdening God. What a mean, low, and contemptible view this
is of God! Suppose the prince, whom we
referred to, had been very sparing in drawing on his father’s accounts. Suppose that he only drew five or ten
dollars at a time. The strangers he was
living with would have noticed it. They
would have said, “Why is he doing that? Why doesn’t he receive more money?
Why is he so poor? Is his father
that miserly? Maybe his father is poor
also?” Thus, dishonor would be brought
on his father and his country because the prince drew so sparingly when he
might have had plenty.
Now,
God has sent His children to this land, and He has told them that they are to
be the “light of the world”, the “salt of the earth”, and a “city that is set
upon a hill”. And God says, “Let your
light shine”; show yourselves worthy of your heavenly Father. Now, suppose that from a lack of confidence,
or for some other reason, they draw very sparingly. Everybody will see that they get little or nothing from God in
answer to prayer. A miserable, lean,
famishing supply is all they get from their heavenly Father. There is little spiritual distinction
between them and the world. They have
so little grace, so little faith, so little of anything that one might suppose
God would surely provide for His children.
Is this honorable to God?
What? Claim to be children of
God and never realize your high distinction!
Living in a world of rebels, having no more grace than you have, have
you ever thought of the dishonor you bring on God? What do you think of your Father? Do you think that God your Father is satisfied? Seeing you, people would think you had no
Father, that you were poor orphans. And
your Father says, “‘open your mouth wide, and I will fill it’; ask of Me for
whatever you need. Why, then, do you go
about in such a miserable condition?
Why live in such a dying state, always in doubt, darkness, and trouble?
Do you not know that I am the Lord your God, and that if you open your mouth
wide, I will fill it?”.
Now,
brethren, isn’t this true? Is what I am
saying some newfangled doctrine not taught in the Bible? Or is it true that
many professing Christians have generally infinitely misconceived this matter,
not understanding what God requires of them, or that they have dishonored Him
in the highest degree by their conduct.
They the light of the world!
Why, their lamps have gone out!
They cannot get any oil; and if they could, they have no money to buy
it. Why has your lamp gone out? Has God your Father failed to send you His
Spirit? Your lamp's gone out and left
you wandering in darkness. A worldly
spirit has come over you. What’s the
matter? You have been straying little
by little until you have lost almost all confidence in God, and now you expect
to receive little from Him in answer to your prayers.
I
don’t know what your situation is, but I know that multitudes of professing
Christians are in this miserably low state.
They neither know that they dishonor God by their conduct, nor that God
is ready and willing to give them abundant grace if they will believingly seek
for it.
If
God considers Himself honored by the largeness of our requests, it must be
because we really have confidence in Him and expect to receive those things we
ask for. If we ask for great things in
words but we don’t mean what we say, or if we don’t expect to receive answers
to our petitions, we dishonor God by mocking Him. Always observe and remember this: a man who really expects great
things from God and asks of God in faith with right motives will receive
them. Those who honor God, God will
honor.
God
regards himself as honored by everything we accomplish in His name: by our
asking great things of Him, and by our attempting great things in His name.
God
Is Dishonored By Feeble Requests
Suppose
a man goes forth in the name of the Lord Jesus to carry the Gospel to those who
are in darkness, believing what Jesus has said, “Lo, I am with you always, even
to the end of the world”. Suppose that
in this confidence he attempts great things, and aims at conquering cities and
nations. The greater he aims in God’s name and strength, the greater is the
honor that God receives. He goes forth
relying on God, as God’s servant, as God’s child, to accomplish great things in
His name and strength. This honors
God. God considers Himself honored by
the high attainments of His children and dishonored by their low
attainments. He is honored in the fact
that their graces so shine forth that it shall be seen by all around that they
have partaken largely of His Spirit.
Exalted
piety is honorable to God.
Manifestations of great grace and spirituality of mind honor God. He is greatly honored by the fruits of
righteousness His people bring forth.
Christ himself says, “Herein is my Father glorified, that you bring
forth much fruit”. Ministers should be
greatly fruitful. They should bring
forth the fruits of the Spirit in their tempers, in their lives, in the
strength of their faith, and in their labors of love. Can you doubt that God has lots of interest in these things? Indeed His great desire, that you should
bring forth fruit to His glory, is shown by the fact that He says, “open your
mouth wide, and I will fill it”.
In
addition, it must imply that God is greatly dishonored by the opposite of
this. Professing Christians who have
little faith make feeble efforts, and show little to distinguish them from the
world around them. Nothing can be more
offensive to God than for His professed servants to have so little confidence
in Him that they ask sparingly to receive sparingly. True, the conception of the general population of Christians must
be very low. They only expect small
things from God. But this is dishonorable
to God, as I have said, and He is working by every possible means to encourage
our faith. At one time He will go into
the nursery, where the mother is with her children, and say, “Mother, if your
son should ask for bread, would you give him a stone? Or if he should ask a fish, would you give him a serpent? Or if he should ask an egg, would you give
him a scorpion to sting him to death?”
The mother is surprised, and can scarcely contain herself. “Well,” God responds, “I didn’t think you’d
do them; but even if the thought of these things are far from you, if you would
never do them, and become upset at even the suggestion that such a thing is
possible, 'how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to them
that ask him?’” How much? Why, as much as He is better than you are.
A
parent has no higher happiness than to give his little ones what they ask for
if it is for their good. A father or a
mother purchases some dainty thing; they can hardly bear to taste it
themselves, the children must have it. “If you, then, being evil”, compared
with God, infinitely evil, “know how to give good gifts to your children, how
much more shall your heavenly Father give?”
Oranges, sweets, candy? No; “the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him.” That is the great blessing you need. Oh, if
we could only have more of God’s Spirit!
Christians
live as if God had little of the Holy Spirit to give. But is this what the Scriptures say? No, indeed! Just the
opposite is true. Some professing
Christians live like spiritual skeletons, and, if they are reproved for it,
they say, “Oh, we depend on the Holy Spirit”.
Indeed, and is that the reason you are so much like the world? Why don’t you prevail with God to convert
your children, and the clerks and people around you? Grieve not the Holy Spirit with such excuses; seek, and you shall
find. God is infinitely more ready to
give you His Holy Spirit than you are to give good gifts to your own children.
When
God exhorts His people to open their mouths wide, and promises to fill them, we
should understand that God seeks in them a clear medium through which to
communicate His blessings to those around them. This is a natural law of God’s economy. If you are parents and have unconverted children, or those around
you are unconverted, God seeks to make you an agent by which He can communicate
the blessings of salvation to them.
When
God urges people to open their mouths wide in order that He may fill them, we
should understand that His heart is set on their having the things which He is
seeking to give them. He takes the
highest interest in their having these things; a greater interest than they
have themselves. He does not hold back
His gift at all; the infinite fountain of His love and blessing flows
everlastingly, so that every empty vessel may be filled; and, when they are all
full, this living stream still flows on forever.
We
must not be afraid of asking too much.
When we seek a favor from a finite being, we might ask so much that he
thinks we are unreasonable; but, when we come to an infinite being, we cannot
ask too much. Oh, brethren, always
remember that.
III.
WHAT ITS RELATIONSHIP IS TO OUR RESPONSIBILITIES.
We
have no excuse before God for not being and doing what would in the highest
degree satisfy His divine mind. We are
not restricted in Him, but in ourselves.
We
are not only without excuse before God, but we are cruel to ourselves. A man would be cruel to himself if he
starved himself to death in the midst of plenty especially when he could freely
partake. Now, what excuse can a
Christian have for all his doubts, fears, darkness, and perplexities, and how
cruel is he to himself when such a marvelous provision is made to set the
Christian free from all such unhappy experiences? Do we live under such circumstances, and yet live a life of
complaining? Indeed! And is it a law of God’s house that His
children should starve? Is it a rule of
God’s house that His children should not have grace enough to lift them above
perplexities and unbelief? Does God
starve His children to death? The devil
laughs, “They do all they can; can’t they get enough grace to prevent them from
living like my servants? They are so
much alike that nobody can tell them apart!”
Dear children, isn’t there something horribly wrong here? Are we not dishonoring God if we do not
avail ourselves of the great things what God has provided us?
It
is cruelty to the world also. God has
said, “Go forth and conquer the world: disciple all nations.” Has He said this to His people, and do they
sleep, do they hesitate? What’s the
matter, friends? Are not the words,
“Come over and help us,” carried on the four winds of heaven? “Come over to Macedonia
and help us”; send us missionaries, send us Bibles, send us tracts, send us the
Gospel! And is the Church unable to do
it? What’s the matter? Let me ask, isn’t there something completely
wrong here? Does God require His people
to make brick without straw? Doesn’t
the world have a right to expect the gospel of salvation to be sent to them by
the Church? Brethren, think about this!
It
is cruel to those around us and those who have relationships with us. We have such great promises in the Bible,
yet our children remain unconverted!
Think of it!
If
Christians would avail themselves of all the blessings God has provided, and
really become filled with the Spirit, what do you suppose would be the
result? Let me ask this question, “Suppose
every Christian in your city complied with this appeal and became filled with
the Holy Spirit, what do you think would be the natural result on the
people? Suppose every Christian were to
open His mouth wide, and should receive the Holy Spirit, don’t you think that
within one year a tremendous change would take place in the city?” I have no doubts that more good would be
done than has been done before. One
church would be thoroughly awakened, and then another and another would follow,
until the whole city would be aroused and every church would be filled with
devout people seeking salvation. This
has frequently happened in American cities; and it still can happen in any city
where Christians are thoroughly alive to their duties and
responsibilities. If every Christian in
your city would make up his mind to take hold of the promise of God, and thus
come into deep sympathy and fellowship with Him, the effect would be
astonishing. Like the lamps of the
city, Christians are scattered over it so they may give light to the multitudes
around them; but if they are not lighted up, the purpose for which they were
intended is not accomplished. Let every
Christian in your city be filled with the Holy Spirit, and what would be the
result? Your city would move! Your state would move! America would move! Europe would move! Asia would move! The
world would move!
Now,
brethren, does this appear extravagant?
If so, it is because you do not consider the power of the promises of
God and what the churches are capable of accomplishing in His name. The guilt and the weakness of the Church is
her unbelief. Her unbelief is so great
that she does not expect to do much.
We
must now conclude with a few remarks.
REMARKS
Many
people have so confused faith with sight that they are ready to say, “If God
made windows in heaven, then maybe this might happen”. Many people have no faith except in connection
with sight: give them the naked promise and they cannot believe it; they must
have something they can see. Few
individuals can walk by faith. When
they see something accomplished, they think they have strong faith; but only
let this appearance be put out of sight and their faith is gone again. Now, what a Christian should be able to do
is this: take God’s promises and latch onto them without waiting to see any
results; because, somebody must believe simply on the strength of God’s testimony,
somebody must begin by naked faith or there will be no visible testimony.
God
always honors real faith. He wants to
honor real faith. God often greatly
honors the faith of His people. He
frequently gives them more than they expect.
People will pray for one individual, and God will often honor their
faith by not only converting that individual but many others also.
I
once knew a man who was sick, and a neighbor of his, an unconverted man,
frequently sent from his store things for his comfort. This poor man said to himself, “I cannot
recompense Mr. Chandler for his kindness, but I will give myself up to pray for
him”. To the surprise of the whole
neighborhood, Mr. Chandler became converted; this he testified before the whole
congregation, which had such an effect that a great revival ensued and many
souls were brought to God. This poor
man gave himself up to pray for one individual, and God honored his faith by
converting many, thus fulfilling the declaration of His Word, that He will “do
exceeding abundantly above all we can ask or think.” (Eph 3:20)
Instead
of finding that God gives grudgingly and sparingly, He gives abundantly. God always acts worthy of Himself. You ask a blessing of God in faith and He
says, “Be content, and take a great deal more so that your cup shall run
over.” The fact is, where little is
attempted, little expected, little will be received; but where little is really
obtained, the fault is not with God, but entirely with us.