Closed Mouths Don't Get Fed

I am the LORD your God,
         Who brought you out of the land of Egypt;
         Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it. 

 “But My people would not heed My voice,
         And Israel would have none of Me.
 So I gave them over to their own stubborn heart,
         To walk in their own counsels. Proverbs 81: 10-12

Today’s Reading: Proverbs 81-83; Romans 11:19-36

There is this old saying that I used to hear a lot growing up:

“Closed mouths don’t get fed.”

So you might imagine that I laughed out loud when I read the passage above. “Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it” sounds strikingly similar. But tell me this ain’t real as steel.

Have you ever noticed how a lot of times folks get what they want if they stay screaming for it? We see this in babies and young children all of the time. The perfect example is the kid at the grocery store. You’ve seen him. You remember that one time you were walking down the cereal isle and you passed a mother fussing with her child in front of the Lucky Charms.

Oh how I loved me some Lucky Charms…

As a matter of fact I have been that kid. Unfortunately for me “spare the rod and spoil the child” was the rule of law when I was a lil’ tyke. That was before all of these newfangled parenting methods they have today…

But I digress…

So I have stumbled upon such a scenario several times at the grocery store. Mom rolls the cart down the cereal isle. The kid sees the colorful box from their favorite cereal commercial and they start clamoring for it. Mom almost always says no at first. I mean really, who wants to have the kid in kindergarten that already has cavities?

Usually the kid persists and tries to test the parent and keeps asking for it. If the parent has the proper amount of intestinal fortitude they will shut the situation down and continue to put the good food in the cart that they feel will best nourish this child that they love.

I look at God this way.

When it comes to pursuing our dreams God is ready and willing to feed us but too often we don’t have our mouths open. We turn away and try to figure out our own ways of achieving our goals without bringing God into the picture. Of course we don’t just sit and wait like chicks in a nest for Papa God to save the day but I believe it is important to include God in the process.

How do I do that? Good question.

The way that I do it is through what we are doing here. I look at the things that I want to do and I bounce that up against what I know God wants for my life. So let’s say I have the following goals.

1. Have a family.

2. Be able to support my loved ones.

3. Write for a living.

4. Sell drugs to fund my writing till I get published one day.

5. Run a marathon.

Clearly most of those things are good food that God will help me receive. If I go to Him during meditation and continually seek out His guidance then he will show me the best ways for me to direct my efforts in order to achieve the goals in line with his Word.

But one of those things is bad… There is nothing in the Bible to suggest that God will “bless” me by helping me destroy my community. This is one form of turning away from God. Pursuing that path would represent me turning away from what is good and nourishing, and going for what seems fast and easy (though clearly it is not… just stating that for the record. Please don’t read this and start selling drugs called Lucky Charms.. dang it… stopping now).

When we choose to heed his voice by doing what is right, and go to God for help with our plans he will open doors and provide ways for our dreams to be fed.

So don’t be afraid to go to God with an open heart, good intentions, and a good work ethic.

We do the possible, God does the rest.