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Verse:“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt; open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.” —Psalm 81:10
The last act of Elisha the prophet was to impress upon his people God’s desire that we pray big prayers and make significant demands upon heaven.
Fearing the advancing Syrian army, the young king Joash came to Elisha in a moment of crisis. Shooting an arrow in the direction of his enemies, his hands in the hands of the prophet, he was told by Elisha that he “must strike the Syrians at Aphek till you have destroyed them” (2 Kings 13:17).
The prophet then tested the faith of King Joash. “He said, ‘Take the arrows’; so he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, ‘Strike the ground’; so he struck three times, and stopped. And the man of God was angry with him, and said, ‘You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck Syria till you had destroyed it! But now you will strike Syria only three times’” (verses 18, 19).
The prophet’s displeasure was a reflection of God’s disapproval of the king’s faithlessness. Knowing that the prophet was encouraging him to press back against Israel’s enemies, Joash asked God for little. Striking the ground just three times placed little demand on the grace of God. Pounding the ground repeatedly would have demonstrated a determination and dedication worthy of the leader of God’s people.
God was dishonored by the king’s indifference.
The same is true when God’s people ask Him for little rather than much. When you pray for the salvation of a family member, remember that John Knox prayed for an entire nation. When you pray about a medical challenge, remember that blind Bartimaeus requested that he might have his sight restored.
The God who fed a nation in a desert and brought forth water from a rock, who opened up a highway through an ocean and troubled Egypt with an unprecedented outpouring of plagues, has ways to provide for you of which you know nothing. God spoke to His people and said, “Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it” (Psalm 81:10).
The God of heaven is the God of great gifts, miracles, and deliverance. Expect God to work on your behalf. Expect Him to do great things.