Open Thy Mouth Wide...

I am the Lord thy God who brought you out of the land of Egypt; open thy mouth wide and I will fill it." Psalm 81:10

I've been thinking about that verse a lot this week, and spending time meditating on how it applies to me. We know that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever - so I know that His promise to fill a mouth wide open is still available to me!

But, it wasn't until I was in bed last night that I realized the real reason why I kept thinking about that verse, and why it kept popping up in my mind. The Lord is so patient with this blonde! Whenever it would come to mind the past few days, I would just think, "Yes, thank you, Lord. You are all I need!". And, that's true. But it was time to dig a little deeper into that verse. Time to put it into to practice in a very tangible way.

I was reading last night before turning out the light. I've been slowly working my way through the book, "What the Bible Has To Say About Healthy Living" by Rex Russell (M.D.). It's an excellent book so far, and I highly recommend it! But anyway, I happened to be reading through a chapter where the focus was on fasting. Yes, that's right. Fasting.

Now, I have fasted before. But I can count on one hand the times that I've done it. Why? The same reason you don't do it very often either! It's not very pleasant at all, at least from a physical standpoint. It means making a sacrifice and giving up (for a time) something your body relys on to function correctly, namely food. Not my most favorite thing to do!

So, I was laying there, reading about all of the physical and spiritual benefits of fasting, and thinking to myself, "Wow. That's pretty neat. When Jesus told us to fast, He made sure there were benefits for us, that it wouldn't just be a painful, religious experience. Not only do we have sweet fellowship with Him while fasting, we also are giving our bodies a time to cleanse and heal. Awesome! I'll keep that in mind.........for whenever I decide to do it again.".

And that's when I heard it. That still, small voice gently spoke to my heart, "I want you to fast.". What? Now, wait a minute! Just because I happened to read a chapter on fasting doesn't mean that I'm supposed to fast. God is not interested in me fasting out of guilt or because I feel pressured to do so. That probably wasn't even Him speaking at all, it was just my thoughts.

"Bekah, I want you to fast." Okay, I heard that one loud and clear, Lord. (And now the excuses began.) But, Lord. I can't! It's not fun. I can't afford to go a day without eating - all of the weight loss books say you must not skip meals! I don't want to mess up my weight loss for this week. Besides, it makes me grumpy. And when I'm grumpy, I'm not a good representative for You, now am I? And, what am I supposed to tell my family? I'm not really fasting for a specific reason, so what do I say? Just that You told me to? I don't know. Can we maybe set up another time if You really want me to do this? At least give a little time to prepare for it? How about sometime next week. I could just skip lunch or something.

"I want you to fast tomorrow." Tomorrow!?! Not tomorrow! That's too soon. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. "Obey, Bekah. That's all I ask. Just obey.".

By this time, I was having some serious problems with crucifying my flesh and getting control of my thoughts. I began thinking of ways to try and make both my flesh and the Lord happy. I'll just fast breakfast.....or would lunch or dinner be better?......No, I'll fast until dinner.......or maybe I should fast the whole day......or maybe I could just fast from a specific thing, like carbs.......I really should fast the whole day.....or what about fasting breakfast and dinner and eating lunch?..........Hmmm, so many options.

It took me a few minutes, but I finally quit fighting and came to the conclusion that there really was only one option. Obedience. Alright, Lord! I give up. I'll fast tomorrow...the whole day. And once I made my decision, that verse came floating into my mind once more, and the Lord showed me why it was on my mind so much, why it wouldn't go away. It was time for me to put into practice what I said I believed. Time to let go and trust the Lord to fill my open mouth. Time to be reminded that all I really need is Him.

As I'm writing this, I'm in the middle of my fast. And today has been wonderful. I spent time in the Word and prayer this morning, and began working on memorization that I've let slip in recent months. It's been a day of sweet fellowship with Jesus. Sure, I'm hungry! But I've learned and re-learned a lot today, important things that I all too easily forget. I've put my focus back where it needs to be, on my Lord and Savior, and I've been reminded that the Lord does give you the strength you need to do what He's called you to do.

Now, please don't read this and think, "I feel like an awful Christian because I don't fast.". It was not my intention to write this and make you feel guilty! And it was also not my intention to write this and somehow puff myself up. Far from it. Listen to the Lord and do what He tells you to do. As I was reminded today, it's well worth it!

Opening my mouth ~ Bekah