Letting God Fill in the Blanks
LYSA TERKEURST
{Editor’s Note to our audio devotions listeners … although we highly value the audio translations of our devotions, we wanted you to know we will be pressing pause on them for an indeterminate amount of time, effective March 2. Please know this is not a permanent decision. It is our intent to revise this service as soon as possible. We will let our devotions audience know when audio will be available again.}
“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” John 14:6 (NIV)
There’s this little painting that hangs in my home. Most people wouldn’t consider it a masterpiece. It was only $5 at an estate sale, but I like it because it speaks redemption to my soul every time I look at it.
I found it in a back room where the owner of the home used to sit and paint.
I don’t know what happened to the gal who painted it. All I know is it seems something about her life fell apart. And one day, a company opened her front door to strangers. They walked through all the sacred spaces she once called home and bought the stuff her life had collected. I guess I’m too sentimental to attend estate sales; I couldn’t stand it.
But I also couldn’t leave without rescuing something in her creative collection. Then I had the strangest notion to go on a wild adventure to find this unknown painter. I pictured it like an epic scene in a movie where the music crescendos, and I find her living in a New York high-rise. I would knock on her door and make the great assumption that she’d be thrilled with my announcement.
“I just want you to know I love your work. I bought one of your paintings, and it speaks a message of redemption to me every day. And I treasure it.”
Surely then she would get misty-eyed, invite me in for coffee, and share her devastatingly beautiful story. We would become wonderful, unlikely friends. She would go on to become a famous painter and live happily ever after.
But life isn’t usually as epic as what we see on movie screens.
It’s untidy and so unpredictable that our fragile hearts get broken at best, crushed at worst. And sometimes, it’s just easier to run away than to risk letting the shards of the fallout cut away the little bit of life still left in us.
No crescendo to the music. No epic arc to the story. No lasting friendship. Just a $5 painting that hangs in my kitchen.
And that’s all I know.
Life sometimes keeps us from details that are better left alone. It keeps some of the blanks empty on the outline of this message.
Does it ever drive you crazy when a speaker gives you an outline with blanks — but then skips some of the points? Me too.
We like complete outlines. All the blanks filled in. All the gaps closed. All the details disclosed. And all the why questions answered to our satisfaction.
But that’s not the way life is. Some speakers are disorganized and forgetful. Some gaps are too wide to close. And some questions have no apparent answers.
I believe that’s the way God wants it. Our all-knowing God not only allows this but actually designed life to be this way. It’s the truth we see tucked into today’s key verse: “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me’” (John 14:6).
Without blanks, we would have no room for Him to enter in and write His answers. For Him to become the Way when there is no way. For Him to be the Truth when lies long to consume our thoughts. For Him to be the Life He’s designed on the other side of our crumbling attempts to control our stories.
Our God is not fickle, forgetful nor fragile in any way. He does not make mistakes. He purposes the gaps. He allows sacred spaces and blank places. He leaves room.
If we had all the blanks filled in, we would explain away God’s part in our story. God doesn’t want to be explained away. He wants to be invited in. He wants us to make room for His additions to our story.
One time God was told, “There is no room,” and He turned an ordinary stable into an unforgettable sanctuary. “No room” became a space where Jesus Christ stepped through glory to the grit and grime of this sin-soaked world.
What did He come to bring? Redemption.
And what do the blanks and unanswered questions of your life provide space for? Redemption.
So why is it OK with me if I never know the details of my kitchen painting? Redemption.
Father God, I thank You that everything You do has holy purpose. Even the things that don’t make sense to me. Thank You for being the way, the truth and the life that I need. You are my Redeemer, and I trust You with every detail of my story. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
TRUTH FOR TODAY:
Psalm 111:9, “He provided redemption for his people; he ordained his covenant forever — holy and awesome is his name.” (NIV)
RELATED RESOURCES:
Are you feeling anxious? Insecure? Inadequate? Disconnected from God? Christ died to restore our broken relationship with God. The surrender cross is an experiential product that allows you to leave your fears and burdens at the cross. Each day, you can physically leave whatever you're struggling with at the cross. Our prayer is that it will help you surrender everything to the One who surrendered His life for us. Click here to shop in our bookstore for this and other products to help you prepare for Easter.
Learn how to trust the Lord with every part of your story with Lysa TerKeurst’s study, Trustworthy. Get yours here.
CONNECT:
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REFLECT AND RESPOND:
Do you have any “blanks” in your life causing you pain or frustration? How can you purposefully invite God into those spaces this week? Join in the conversation here today.
© 2020 by Lysa TerKeurst. All rights reserved.
Proverbs 31 Ministries
P.O. Box 3189
Matthews, NC 28106
www.Proverbs31.org
Originally published Thursday, 27 February 2020.
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