Finding Strength When You Are Empty
Empty—that was the only way to describe how I felt. For several years, I had gone through loss, grief, betrayal, and what I can only describe as burn out. Mentally, emotionally, and physically I was exhausted. Sometimes that is what walking in faith looks like. My only hope was to dive deep into God’s Word for answers and anchor myself to Jesus.
LET THERE BE LIGHT
I went back to the beginning, to Genesis 1:2, “Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness covered the surface of the watery depths, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.” I discovered that God preceeds empty. God was present in empty. His Spirit hovered over the waters, and He was about to do something big.
Genesis 1:3-5 reveals that God said, “Let there be light,” and He created the first day and night. It was good. Remembering God as Creator filled some empty place within me. His creation of light brought confidence and hope. God filled the darkness with light. He filled my time of darkness with light. God produced something full and life-giving out of empty. I learned that empty is when I don’t have the resources to overcome the emptiness. Empty is when I can’t trust my eyes, my feelings, or even my ability to reason in certain situations. However, just because something has the appearance of empty does not mean it is so. With God, empty is never empty.
EMPTY IS AN ILLUSION, HOPE IS AN ANCHOR
When God shines His light on your situation and speaks hope, believe it. Sometimes empty is the framework God uses to show us His scope and power. Romans 4 describes the promise given to Abraham and his descendants. Abraham’s faith did not weaken. He maintained hope when Sarah’s womb was empty. He trusted God to do what He said He would do. Abraham believed no word, or promise, from God would fail.
God filled the empty world with life.
God filled Sarah’s empty womb with life.
God filled Jesus’s tomb with life.
God takes empty spaces and fills them with His power.
Seasons of emptiness provide God with the space to show us more of His power as we see the light of the gospel—Jesus.
“For we are not proclaiming ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’s sake. For God who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of knowledge of God’s glory in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Cor. 4:5-6).
May God use the empty spaces in our lives to shine light on His power and glory.
With God, empty is never empty.
This article by Michelle Hicks first appeared in the summer 2024 edition of Journey Magazine.
About Michelle Hicks
Michelle Hicks is the manager of magazines and devotionals with Lifeway Women. Michelle served as a freelance writer, campus minister, and corporate chaplain before coming to Lifeway. She is a graduate of the University of North Texas and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Michelle has a deep hunger for God’s Word and wants others to discover the abundant life they can have with Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
