Is Your Mouth Too Full to Fill?
Last week, I questioned what a Christian is suppose to do when life seems overwhelming and no solution is evident.
I answered the question with David’s word from Psalm 81:10, “I [God] am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.” In short, we need to be like baby birds, with mouths open wide, looking to God to meet our needs.
God is there for us. He is our provider, protector, comforter, strength, light, and whatever we need. He is there, but He doesn’t push Himself on us. He often waits for us to acknowledge Him, look to Him, and trust in Him. As we listen to His voice and obey—i.e. open our mouth for Him to fill it—we will experience His grace for whatever situation we are in.
In response to the post, Sam C. suggested that one reason God doesn’t fill our mouths may be that they are too full of words that are coming out.
“Ouch,” was my first response.
It’s true that when we are busy talking, we’re trying to get our point across. Our mouth may be open, but it’s pointed in the wrong direction, and it’s already full.
A mouth that is full of words is symptomatic of ears that are also closed. We can’t hear God when we’re busy talking ourselves. If we don’t hear His voice, how will we hear His guidance? Furthermore, how can we obey if we don’t know what He says?
Obedience is important. God said, “My people did not listen to My voice, and Israel did not obey Me, so I gave them over to the stubbornness of their heart” (Ps. 81:12).
“When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, but he who restrains his lips is wise” (Prov. 10:19).
It’s important that we pause in our chatter and make time to listen to God. We need a habit of keeping our ears open to the Lord all the time.
But I don’t believe that will happen unless we look more deeply, because “the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man” (Matt. 15:18).
Words of life come from life in the heart and evil words come from evil. However, could it also be true that our words reveal the focus of our hearts, even when they are not specifically evil or life-giving?
When calamity strikes, a crisis erupts, relationships fail, or in some way chaos reigns in your world, what do your words reveal about your heart?
Many people respond with words of doom and gloom. When anxious, others become non-stop chatterboxes as they process aloud the doubts and questions within. Some question God with whys and how-could-yous. Others speak words of faith and trust. All come from the heart.
Words are important, but what matters is what is in the heart.
Because we are not yet perfected, our hearts may waver sometimes, just as a child who is learning to ride a bike wavers. The Lord understands that.
If words–whether in volume or in tone–have filled our mouth and blocked God from filling us up, it’s time to repent, and to open our mouth wide.
When He fills our mouth, He doesn’t just provide things we need externally, His most important work is on the heart. As we open our mouth, He will fill our hearts too.
“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in they sight, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer” (Ps. 19:14).
The Great Exchange: Bound by Blood reveals God’s deep desire to bless His children as it explores what it means to be in covenant with the living God. Learn more about the ancient ritual of making a blood covenant.