I know some of you might have found the title a bit intriguing, well I can tell you that I sure did. Please allow me to share how this topic came about.  I was watching a TV series where the protagonist literally went through hell, having had a very difficult childhood and was trying to cope as an adult. Although older now, the main character was so scared by their life experiences, that he was struggling to cope. Then one day a wise old man overheard him talking about how he was feeling so empty and void within. Thereafter the wise man said to him, “Being empty means anything can fit inside you, and if you want to start anew, empty is the best place to be”.

When I first heard this statement, I was like, “What did he just say”? I had to replay the statement about 3 to 4 times just to let it soak in. Being empty is a good place to be! On reflecting on it, it actually took me back to some advice my Pastor once gave me.

I told the pastor that I felt broken and demoralized and I didn’t have the strength to move forward in a particular situation. To which the pastor replied, “Sometimes when you are broken and empty, that is exactly where God wants you to be”. What the pastor meant was, feeling lost, alone, helpless, weak, stranded, isolated, trapped or deserted by man, is a good place to be. This is because in such a state, when all seems lost, you are forced to only rely on God. Your hands and heart have no other choice but to look to the heavens, where your help comes from (Psalm 121:1-2).

Sometimes in life, we hold unto and build foundations on so many fickle things. We build it around our jobs, our children, our spouses, or our own ambitions. Then the great leveller comes, the bulldozer of life, which has a way of charging in from nowhere and crushing what we hold fast to.  Thus, causing the hope and meaning we built in all the wrong places, to dissipate before our eyes. Sometimes these fragile foundations can be found it in the right place, but at the wrong time. But regardless of how or when we erected them, they have the propensity to go and leave us empty handed.

Have you ever been in such a sunken space due to life situations? Well, I sure have and most times you feel helpless and hopeless. If you can testify, can I get an Amen?

Let me remind you that at such times, all is not lost, regardless of what you think or feel. If you are feeling empty, know that you can be filled. Know that in such times, your heart, and mind are in the readiness state to accept God showing up. Therefore, if you truly seek Him, He will step in.

Sometimes we can say that it is life that has us here, and what I mean by life is, our own poor decisions. But God as lead conductor, also has a pivotal role in orchestrating our steps in this symphony called life. Just like He did for Joseph in the Bible, who was betrayed by his brothers, left for dead, lied against by his Masters wife, wrongfully accused and placed in prison. The draining of Joseph to bring him to this empty place in his life, was all God’s doing. God brought him low, to raise him high, and this is how it is with God. The lower He can bring us, is the higher He can raise us. For God to use you deeply, He must first crush you greatly. If you don’t believe me, simply go ask a winemaker how they press their grapes. Let it be know, that the only way things can come out of us sometimes is via pressure and a pressing. Purpose is found in the PRESS.

But why does God drain us like this and bring us to this place called empty? Well, he does it for us (Stay tuned for a future blog call – “God Wants to Give you His Heart”) and He also does it for His glory. Let it be known that God’s glory can be found in the events between our lows and highs.  The testimony that can be extracted and showcased between these two states, is where God can get magnified. The wider the difference, the greater the praise that is due His name.

God uses these empty times in our lives to position Himself to be glorified, in the victory He will bring for us. Not only this, but these testimonies can also be used to strengthen the soul of a believer or used to convert someone into a believer. In time, “Your place of being empty, is where someone else can get full”.

Just hold on and keep fighting through with God. Remember, in being empty, anything can fit inside of you. So, guard your heart and don’t let anger, unforgiveness, hopelessness, hatred or despair take root and fill your emptiness therein. Proverbs 4:23 says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it”. Guarding your heart is something only you can do. If you guard it, and guard it well, and trust God’s process, you will see the glory of God, to the saving of your soul and the souls of others.

PS: Dane Miller was last seen having a deep conversation with a winemaker.

Your Brother in the Lord,

Dane Miller – “God is the Author, I am the Pen”

Authored Book – What is the Woman Saying – Lessons from Biblical Women.

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