“I am the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt; open thy mouth wide and I will fill it.” Psalm 81:10
When the Lord Jesus was teaching concerning His relationship as the Sheperd of the sheep, and the role of the sheep He was caring for, He spoke of the difference between Himself and the enemy of the sheep, the devil. He spoke also of the contrast between Him as the true Shepherd, and the hireling to whom the sheep did not belong, and who was not committed with his whole heart concerning the well-being of the sheep. At the center of this teaching, and its application to the sheep, was the matter of LIFE, Christ’s life, not only given to the sheep, but to eventually dwell IN the sheep. As to the “amount” of this life, Christ would make it clear that He would not give less than all for the sheep. This is later revealed in the writings of the Apostle Paul when he wrote that every believer is complete in Christ, because “in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.” (Col. 2:9,10) But the question then arises, “If the believer, because of his union with Christ, is complete in Him, how much, and how well can he know this Christ now, and this on a daily, even moment by moment basis?
In Psalm 81, we catch a glimpse of the design, and heart of God, with respect to His will concerning His blessing of the believer. The Lord spoke to Israel, and based His grand invitation to her, on His finished work of deliverance from sin, forgiveness of sin, and salvation by faith in Him, by declaring, “I am the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt.” This is what the Lord has done also for the believer, having delivered him from bondage to the tyranny of sin, delivered from the condemnation of the devil, and put a new life and hope within him by the Spirit. But, how much and how far does the Lord desire to take the Israel of old in her knowledge and experience of Him? Likewise, how far does He desire to bring the believer, His child, in his or her communion with Christ? The Lord Jesus did not die on the cross that His living body, the church, and every member of it, live a wilderness, and defeated experience, in the face of the enemy who would oppose and defy him. The Great Shepherd of old would reveal to Israel that His objective was a promised land, and a communion with God, where His blessings abound. For the believer, the promises of God extend even farther than to the Israelites, for since Pentecost, the Spirit of God has been shed abroad upon all flesh, every nation and people, so that Christ can and will come into the heart to dwell by faith, there to be the appropriated as the Life of the believer, and this by faith. The objective is fullness, represented by the Lord’s words: “Open thy mouth wide and I will FILL it.” It is as one is filled with the Spirit of Christ, that one comes to know the living Christ in a deeper, and more consistent manner, this by abiding in Him by faith, deriving all from Him by that inward aspiration of faith.
Is it possible for the believer to be filled with the Spirit, be brought under the direction of the Spirit, walking by Him? We find the answer to this question in the Lord’s very simple words: “I will fill it.” We see in the New Testament, in Paul’s writings, where he specifically declares that the believer is to be filled with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18) How can one be filled, and be certain that God will accomplish it? In Psalm 84:11, we read: “… no good thing will He (God), withhold from them that walk uprightly.” Jesus told His disciples: “… how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?” Luke 11:13)
Dear Father, Grant us Thy fulness. In Jesus’ name, Amen.