The Blessing of Being Empty - The Crosswalk Devotional - July 17
The Blessing of Being Empty
By Hannah Benson
Bible Reading:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3 ESV).
Have you ever considered that perhaps the blessing isn’t in the mountaintops but found in the valley?
So many of us live our lives longing for the proverbial “mountaintops,” for the moments when everything is perfect. Or, at least, seems to be.
It’s not wrong to pray and hope for good things. For good jobs, loving families, great friends. Besides, we know God loves to give good gifts to His children.
But what if instead of living our lives longing for the mountaintops and enduring the valleys because we think we have to, what if we saw the valleys as a gift?
Now, don’t get me wrong.
The valley isn’t a gift because it feels good. If anything, it probably doesn’t feel very good at all. Instead, it’s a gift because the hard times are usually when we grow in our faith the most.
Think about it.
The disciples walked with Jesus for 3 years. Surely, their time walking physically with Jesus was the “mountaintops” of their faith. Everything was going swimmingly. They saw miracles, witnessed healings, and watched Jesus raise people from the dead. In their minds, Jesus had no doubt come to conquer the Roman Empire (Acts 1:6).
But then Jesus died.
Those 3 days before He rose again were the darkest days in history, and no doubt, the hardest times in the lives of His disciples at that point (Luke 23:44-45, John 20:19, Mark 16:10).
But you know what?
They grew more during those 3 days than they had in 3 years. Peter is just one example of this. Before Jesus’s crucifixion, he wrestled with pride and reliance upon his own strength, telling Jesus that “Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away” (Matthew 26:33 ESV). But in fear, he denied Jesus 3 times (Matthew 26:75).
We’ve all made promises on the mountaintops that we realize in the valleys we aren’t strong enough on our own to keep. Peter’s story is a reminder to us that our faith is sustained by God’s strength and grace alone, not anything we could do on our own.
For the 3 years of Jesus’s ministry, they walked by sight. They had Jesus physically with them. But after His crucifixion in those 3 days where they didn’t understand what was happening and then later when He ascended to heaven, they had to believe what they couldn’t see.
Consider this.
When we’re walking with the Lord, and everything seems to be going great, perhaps we landed our dream job, or we were given a relationship that we’ve been praying for, in those moments, we are on the “mountaintops.”
While I’m grateful for the “mountaintops” in life, I’ve realized that it’s in the “valleys” where I truly grow. Often on the mountaintops, we find ourselves filled with good things that we struggle to find room in our hearts for God. But in the valleys, when everything might be taken away from us, or we’re struggling, and our hearts are being emptied of the things of the world, that’s when our hearts may be more receptive to the Lord’s presence filling the empty spaces in our lives.
It’s like the rich man and the poor man. In Luke 18, a rich man comes to Jesus and asks what he must do to inherit eternal life (v. 18). When Jesus tells him to keep His commandments, the rich man responds that “all these I have kept from my youth” (v. 21 ESV).
Jesus then tells him that there is one thing he lacks: “Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me” (Luke 18:22).
The Bible tells us that when the rich man heard this, he became sad because he was extremely wealthy. On the outside, he appeared to have everything he could ever want. He was “full.” Full of worldly possessions, perhaps power, of following his own path.
Luke 18:24-25 continues: “Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, ‘How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.’”
What is Jesus saying here? That if you happen to be wealthy, you won’t go to heaven? No, of course not. When we’re standing on the mountaintops and our lives are filled with such good things, sometimes, we may find it difficult to open our hearts to Jesus when our hearts are filled with things of the world.
Earlier in Luke 18:16, 17, it says: “But Jesus called them to him, saying, ‘Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.’”
Jesus commends childlike faith. In most cases, children are simple, carefree, and completely dependent on their parents to provide and care for them. When we have faith like a child, we recognize the true essence of our faith, which is full dependence on Jesus to accomplish what we cannot. Sometimes, we have an innate tendency to feel independent and empowered, but that way of thinking can be false when it leads us to place an emphasis on our strength above Jesus in us.
Yes, God loves to give us good things. To bless us with moments on the mountaintops.
But I’ve found that the greatest blessing is found in the valleys, when we realize God’s grace is the only thing sustaining us and we find ourselves empty enough to be filled by Him.
If you are in the valley today, instead of viewing it as something you must endure, why not view it as a blessing? Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying the tragedy we may be walking through may be easy or a gift in and of itself, but the result (which can often be a deeper closeness with God) is the true gift. Why not view our empty places as a gift and an opportunity to be filled with the presence of God?
Pray with me:
Father, thank You for the valleys that make me like a child again. Thank You for the seasons that strip away my false independence and remind me that I am sustained by Your grace alone. Help me to stop longing for the next mountain and instead look for Your presence right here, even in the empty spaces. Fill me with Yourself today. In Jesus’s Name, Amen.
How did today’s devotional speak to you? Share your thoughts in the Crosswalk Devotional discussion.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/MirageC
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