Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. Psalm 119:105
Psalm 81
Psalm 81:10 I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open Wide your mouth and I will fill it. NIV.
Unlike the Israelites, I was never in physical bondage in Egypt. I did not face the depravations of slavery and oppression, including attempted genocide. I did not experience God’s miraculous deliverance through the plagues, not the journey to the promised land with its pillar of fire by night and cloud by day along with the daily (except on the sabbath) provision of manna. What a great heritage of God acting on behalf of His people the Hebrew nation possessed. Sadly, they often squandered that heritage spending it on their own selfish and vain ambitions.
I did, though, for a period squander my spiritual heritage in bondage to obsessive compulsive behavior. This pattern of living eventually brought me to my knees broken and pleading for God to do whatever it took to make me His man. God brought many people into my life. They modeled ways of connecting to God which were new to me and my openness to God’s working helped me to respond. I commence taking practical actions of cultivating spiritual disciplines of prayer, meditation, daily reflection utilizing journaling, accountability, confession, and correcting the wrongs I had committed.
In particular God brought into my life a local pastor. He, for almost ten years, met with me twice a month and shared his life, wisdom, and friendship. I experience something similar to what I envisioned the Biblical David experienced with his brother-in-law Jonathan. The Bible described that as having their hearts knit together. How grateful I am that he walked with me on my journey to a new life empowered by the Spirit.
I can now open my mouth to receive the numerous gifts God provides and, like my pastor friend, pass those along to others.
Thank You for how You have developed my heart and life to love You more fully and follow You more completely. Fill me with all I need to share Your love with those around me. Amen
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