"You shall have no foreign god among you. You shall not bow down to an alien god. I am the LORD Your God who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide Your mouth and I will fill it" (Psalm 81:9 & 10)
"You shall have no foreign god". Lord there are so many worthless gods out there, that people follow after: whether its idols or money or whether its being obsessed to find a boyfriend or girlfriend, husband or wife; following a career, becoming a workaholic to attain the heights of said career; or to become the richest person alive, all these can become obsessions that take over a person whether for greed or for whatever reason. Lord, these things can become an "alien god" because any other god, other than You, is an alien, foreign god.
You are the God over all and You say do not bow down to those other things; we must worship You and You alone. Lord God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, is also my God, the God of those who have become followers of Jesus Christ. You brought us up, not necessarily out of Egypt, but symbolically, from many other places and circumstances such as living a life with drugs, alcohol or from prostitution, or libertine ways or as directly, as Satan worshipers. There are so many other numbers of things that people have been "brought up" out of: some from their own doing, other's, at the hand of perpetrators; however, You, Father, can set them free! Liberty! Victory over those bitter ways that enslaved us.
If they would just open wide their mouths.
You must be the Dentist of all dentists, Father, because You ask us to ,
"...open wide our mouths and You will fill them" (Psalm 81:10 ESV)
A dentist asks his patients to do the very same thing, "Open a little bit wider please, so I can reach to that tooth waaaay at the back" or "to do this or that to help preserve your teeth".
In addition, Lord, we open wide our mouths and fill them with food especially at times of feasting. So much good food.
Similarly Lord, You will fill ours with so many good things: Your blessings (Ephesians 1); love, joy, peace, to learn patience, to learn Your goodness, to learn Your meekness. This is good character.
We can also learn of Your compassion as shown to the multitudes among whom Jesus walked here on earth. Such compassion, to heal and to help and to fill their mouths with joy, shouts of joy and singing for joy as their bodies were healed; released from evil spirits, and the people came to follow Him; Your Son Jesus. Lord we thank You for this promise to rescue us.
You don't want us to be "just rescued" and that's it, set adrift again to our own devices. No. You rescue us and set us on Your way and ask us to walk in it. When we do so, to keep our mouths wide open so You can fill them.
It's like in the winter time and kids (and the young at heart) go out into the falling snow, tilt their heads up, mouths agape, gleefully attempting to catch a few flakes upon their tongues. May we learn to listen to You, oh Father, listen to You, to follow Your ways, and not our own. To have our mouths wide open to "catch" what You have for us.
When we do listen to You and follow Your ways, You would subdue the enemies that would come to harass us, to plague or disturb us. Those enemies which come to persecute us. Lord help us to learn to forgive and bless them. Help us not to hate those who hurt us. I know Lord, that You will deal with those who deal unjustly, mercilessly, and wickedly against us, Your followers.
There will be punishment that will last forever for them but Lord, again, You do not want to see anyone perish but all to come to the saving knowledge of the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:9), to make Him their Savior. When they do so, and when they have their mouths wide open, You will feed them with the finest of wheat and with honey from the rock. Like one time You had water flowing freely, abundantly, out of a rock for the throngs of Israel in the wilderness; the whole crowd, perhaps millions of them!
Here it's honey, from a rock! Honey! Honey which will satisfy us and them. I love honey. You satisfy us with the best of it, too. It won't be half diluted with water or sugar either; it'll be pure, I'm sure. (Psalm 81:16 ESV)
People will have their mouths wide open Lord, but its interesting to see that You ask us to do it. You had to ask. So ironic. If something good would happen, why wouldn't we automatically open up? However, Father, compel us to open them and keep them open to You, to Your Word, to Your will, to Your ways, enabling us to get the maximum nourishment from them.
In the end, may we become more like Your Son, Jesus Christ in the way we behave and carry His Name upon us, resulting in giving You honor and not bring, as we exclude all foreign gods, shame upon Your Name.
I ask all this in the precious name of Jesus Christ, the Son of the One true God.
Amen.
~ERC March 2020~
Prayer based on Psalm 81.
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