Empty: Repent - Faith and Obedience

Psalm 79

We feel empty when we suffer through life’s trials. Questions that come at us from our neighbors, and even from within ourselves, include: “If there’s a loving God, how can He let this be happening?” The better question is: “Who wants us to experience emptiness and who wants us to be filled perfectly and completely?”

The enemy is constantly attacking the temple (v1). Each of us is God’s temple and we, collectively, are a nation under attack. Our enemy is the father of lies and that’s really all he’s got. On one hand, Satan influences us to believe that when we suffer, we don’t deserve it. The truth is that only Jesus did not deserve to suffer. Then, ironically, we’re fed the lie that our sin is so nasty that we cannot be fully restored by God’s grace.

As children grounded by our parents for an infraction, we don’t feel our parent’s grace in our moment of emptiness. But as parents of children we dearly love, we never leave; we never abandon or forsake our children. We do, however, allow them to experience emptiness in order to encourage them to desire the fullness of reconciliation.

Our Heavenly Father’s grace is a constant. Our experiencing the fullness in God’s constant grace requires repentance, faith and obedience. Let’s be clear that these three biblical concepts, when used of God’s people, are always connected to one another. If one is referred to, the other two are assumed; they cannot exist independently for the child of God. Daily repentance, faith and obedience to our loving Father protect us from the emptiness the enemy desires for us and bring us fullness from the only one who wants and can fill us perfectly and completely in His grace.

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14 (NIV)

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28 (NIV)