Emptiness Serves a Purpose

He is their strength in the time of trouble. Psalm 37:39**

When I am not, You are.

Where I fail, You perfect.

I teeter and You stand, bold, strong.

I fold, crumple and weep when poked and prodded by life’s mishaps — and You scoop me up and sing over me.

Father, You are all that I’m not and the end of me is where You begin. This is beauty. You breathe promise into my void.

I worship You, oh God of strength, whose strength could not be fully activated in me without my weakness. You replace me with You — at the moment my flesh might deem least likely — and I have all that I need and, even, want.

I am made empty — not to strive but to receive an infilling. Your glory finds opportunity for expression in me when I am bone-dry.

Who is this God-Man who makes my stone cold moments to be soft as clay for His hands to mold majesty?

I love You, Father, who finds a home in me by overshadowing me. You fill me with strength when I am most undeserving.

You love me into wholeness with a love that can’t possible touch without changing. When it’s really You exhaling over my rancid depravity, I receive the strength which transfigures.

You ignite me when I am just ashes and I’m afforded the chance to burn at the very moment I was waning.

Your newness writes new over me, at my lowest. I find You when I’ve lost me.

I love You, God who is not strength from afar — but strength welling up from within.

You speak a new word over my frailty and instead of wasted, I am able.

All because of You, inside of me.

Photo compliments of Cherish Andrea Photography.

**So what do I do with these posts, you ask, other than just read them? First, if you haven’t yet, read: Why I Adore and Morning Chai, Explained to give you a context for this little space on my blog. 

If you are compelled, I invite you to participate. Set up a space and time in your own life to begin adoring. Over laundry or dinner dishes, on your commute to work, or in the wee morning hours — five or ten minutes is a great start. You can use the verse I list here every day or two as a launch pad for your own adoration. (Showing Up gives you some practicals.)

Then practice praise.

I promise your weary soul won’t regret it.

You can see all of the Morning Chai posts with this link: http://www.EveryBitterThingisSweet.com/posts/chai/ and you can easily subscribe to these devotional meditations as they are delivered, by using this feed: http://www.EveryBitterThingisSweet.com/posts/chai/feed or by entering your email address in the second box on the right-hand side… (scroll up a bit)

 

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