Open Wide!
We’ve left the west behind and are currently making our way through the mid-west and then back east. I’ll be honest, there were parts of the west I really enjoyed. Some of the scenery was breathtaking, and some of the weather was fantastic. That being said, there were parts I didn’t appreciate at all. The heat in some places was unbearable, and those long drives across the desert were boring!!!
One of the most exciting parts of the trip was the chance to see things I’d never seen before. For the first time in my life, I had the opportunity to see cacti. That was pretty cool! I also saw a wide variety of animals, including some crazy birds that caught my attention. Overall, they weren’t very attractive. They were brown and honestly a little kooky looking. So, it wasn’t their great looks that grabbed my attention but the fact that every one of them walked around with their mouths wide open. It didn’t matter when or where I saw these birds. They all walked with their mouths hanging open, which made them look even crazier. Of course, my mind working the way it does, each time I saw one of these birds, a verse of Scripture entered my thoughts.
“I am the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it. ”
Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it. What a beautiful promise from God. In this single phrase, our Heavenly Father reminds us that He can meet each and every need. All we need to do is open wide to accept His blessings. But, oh, how many times do we walk around with tightly-closed lips, oblivious to the gifts God wants to pour out on us. I like the way Spurgeon put it:
“The little birds in their nests are far more sensible than we are. When God hovers over us with His widespread wings, and covers us with His warm feathers, He has need to say to each one of us, “Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it,” but the little birds take good care, without any teaching, to open their mouths wide, that their mothers may fill them. ”
After some research, I discovered that those kooky birds in the west walk around with their mouths open because it’s hot. Oddly enough, that’s the way they “pant” and cool off. Who knew? Baby birds, however, are another story. They open wide their mouths because they trust their mother to fill them. They depend on their mother and know she will care for them. So, day after day, they open wide their mouths in expectation of their mother’s care and provision. Oh, that we would learn from these birds and open wide our mouths in anticipation of blessings from our Father who loves us and cares for us!