It starts the minute I wake up. My mind starts telling me the things that I need. "I need coffee. I need peace and quiet. I need more help or more attention or more affection or I need to be left alone. I need more money. I need a vacation."
This morning I had an unusual experience. I was praying while I was tidying the house in preparation for a time of tea, muffins and prayer with some leaders' wives from our church. Suddenly I heard, not with my ears but in my inner being, the words, "Wherever there's a lack, I will fill the gap." I knew God was speaking to me. I immediately thought of myself, and many others in my life, who look to something or someone other than Christ to fill up areas in my/their life where there is a lack. There can be a multitude of ways that we feel and experience lack, and a multitude of ways we try to fill up our own emptiness.
Lack of peace? I'll just binge watch Netflix to escape.
Lack of contentment? Let's go shopping! Something new always cheers me up!
Feeling lonely? I know this relationship isn't God's best for me, but it's got to be better than being alone, right?
I feel sad, mad, bad, whatever....I need to eat some chocolate! (Or in my case, something salty!)
We try to fill up our emptiness with more activities, or more stuff, or more experiences, more, more, more.
But if God is first place in my life, if Jesus is my all in all, why don't I look to Him above all those other things to fill the gaps in my life? One of God's names is El Shaddai, the God Who is more than enough. Why do I live like He isn't-like I have to look to other things or other people to satisfy my longing heart? If Jesus is first in my life, if He really is preeminent, above all else and all others to me, then why, when I sense my own inner lack, isn't my mind telling me, "I just need more of Jesus"?
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