In Emptiness and Silence
We arrived home last night from 12-days of travel, speaking, and celebrating the wonder of Easter.
Truly, the Lord gifted us with a glorious combination of serving, sharing, connecting with old friends, making new ones, and filling our hearts with the beauty of south Texas.
Yes, there’s a “but” coming…
BUT – even after a decent night’s sleep, I feel tired.
Well, perhaps “tired” isn’t the right word (’cause I have energy enough to spare).
After reconsideration, I believe “empty” is the right word.
So, when I woke to write a new blog for this week…NOTHING!
Absolutely zippo.
I’ve had times like these.
You may have them, as well.
Frustrating, right?
I’m sure you can relate to those moments, when, well, God seems absolutely absent.
I pick up my Bible to study where I’ve left off, longing to hear His voice, and nothing seems to settle in my soul.
Yet, we know that the Word of God is powerful and it’s ACTIVE (it’s job is to work for us, on our behalf).
We know it NEVER comes back void…there’s always something God has to say to us.
We know that ALL SCRIPTURE is God-breathed and USEFUL (whether to teach, to rebuke, to course-correct, or to train in righteous living).
I am, also, very aware that the Lord wants to “satisfy me in the morning with His unfailing love (Psalm 90:14),” meaning He wants to take me from empty to overflowing, simply because of His HESED (that Hebrew word I just can’t seem to get away from).
Obviously, the Lord, eventually, gave me something, cause here I am, writing.
Gotta tell you, though, I thought for a couple hours that this may be the beginning sign for stopping. I wondered if I had exhausted the life of these random thoughts; and, it crossed my mind that I’d hit the end of my leash.
Nevertheless…God.
Yep, He is a God of “nevertheless;” and, it dawned on me, why not use this morning of feeling empty, disjointed, and, frankly, “stumped,” to share a little reality.
There are times when our Lord seems significantly silent.
Yet, even in the silence, I’m vividly aware that He is often behind the scenes working, and will not leave us stranded (I learned that lesson years ago from the beauty of a story about Queen Esther).
He will fulfill His promises; and, this one in the middle of the book of Micah (7:18) where the Lord assures us He delights in DOING (acting on, living out) steadfast love is one I clung to this morning.
So, between the silence, the emptiness and, finally, the Lord showing up to satisfy and fill – – – – what?
There’s a little four-letter-word that no one likes to hear, especially me.
I’m a do-er, a fix-er, and a box-ticker (I fervently love checking off the boxes on my to-do-list).
Regardless, there are times, we simply have to WAIT.
Waiting is never inactive,
I’ve found I look a little harder, listen a little more carefully, pay attention a bit more closely…
That’s what I just did this morning; and, sometimes in the oddest of places, simplest of moments, and in the middle of the craziest of conversations, He will do HESED and He will fill up the “empty.”
This morning, after taking a bit of a break and doing a little organizing of my desk, I clearly heard God’s voice through the words written on a small little sticker handed to me one day after lunch last week.
It is a reminder, a challenge, and an encouragement; but, it is more…
This morning it became “RHEMA (light-and-life-giving)” to my heart.
FOR when GOD speaks my soul is truly satisfied.
My lesson from this morning:
When God seems silent, don’t give up; show up a little more intentionally, and He will satisfy you with His unfailing love.
