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September 25, 2013
Letting God Fill My Empty Places |
"You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water." Psalm 63:1 (NIV)
It was a source she'd come to depend on. A place she went to get her needs met. But it was never enough; every day she came back for more.
Filling her jar with water, the woman looked up and heard Him ask her for a drink. He offered her something in return: living water. Unlike the water she came to get that day, He said the water He offered would satisfy her so deeply she'd never thirst again.
But she had a hard time believing His promise. "You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water?" (John 4:11 NIV) She asked.
What she didn't realize was that Jesus wanted to satisfy a deeper thirst in her heart—a longing He'd created to lead her heart to Him: the One and only Source that could satisfy her soul.
All He needed to draw with was His Spirit, for it would draw her near to Him. And as far as the depth of the well, it was her heart He was looking into. She was the only one who could stop Him from reaching the empty places in her heart.
I know that place of needing Jesus to look into my heart and show me the emptiness only He can fill.
Like the woman at the well, I've depended on other means to get my needs met. Yet when I look to them, instead of Him, they are never enough.
I've looked to people: family and friends, bosses and boyfriends, teachers and mentors, my husband and my kids. I've longed for their approval and the affirmation that comes with it.
I've also looked to possessions and positions and accidentally put my hope in recognition. I've thought "if only I had or could ... then I'd be fulfilled."
But no matter how much I do or get, it's never enough to fill me up. And it's not supposed to be.
Why? Because the empty places in our hearts were created to be filled by God alone. The deepest thirst of our souls can only be quenched by Him.
We see this deep thirst even in King David, who had everything: the highest position, unlimited possessions, and great power, yet none of it was enough. He described himself as parched and thirsty for God:
You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. (Ps. 63:1 NIV)
Then David went on to describe what he experienced when he drank deeply of God's love:
I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live and in your name I will lift up my hands. (vv. 2–4 NIV)
And the same thing happened to the woman Jesus met at the well that day. She drank deeply of His love and was filled to overflowing, and we can be too.
Just like the woman at the well, God put a longing in our hearts that was intended to lead us back to Him. Only His unconditional acceptance, approval, and affirmation can fill the empty places in our hearts-the deepest thirst of our souls. Until God's love and acceptance is enough, nothing else will be.
Dear Lord, show me the empty places in my heart and the ways I try to fill them. Then lead me back to You and show me how I can position my heart to be filled and fulfilled by Your promises and the power of Your love. In Jesus' Name, amen.
Related Resources:
Join our next Proverbs 31 Ministries Online Bible Study of A Confident Heart by Renee Swope! Filled with daily insights, powerful promises, and Scripture-based teachings, you'll receive hope, encouragement and a fresh vision for your life! Find out more and sign up here.
Don't miss Renee's bestselling book: A Confident Heart: How to Stop Doubting Yourself & Live in the Security of God's Promises. Order your signed copy here and find out how you can download over $40 in FREE A Confident Heart resources.
In her powerful new Confident Heart DVD, Renee shares practical and powerful ways to identify our empty places and let God fill them on a daily basis. The perfect resource for individual or group study.
Reflect and Respond:
What or who do you depend on to fill the empty places in your heart?
What would change if you allowed God's unconditional acceptance and approval to fill the deepest thirst of your soul?
Power Verses:
Psalm 143:8, "Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life." (NIV)
Jeremiah 2:13, "My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water." (NIV)
© 2013 by Renee Swope. All rights reserved.
Proverbs 31 Ministries
630 Team Rd., Suite 100
Matthews, NC 28105
www.Proverbs31.org
Originally published Wednesday, 25 September 2013.
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