The Voice That Fills Our Voids

Have you ever tried watching a movie with a lot going on around you? Maybe you sat next to a “talker” or a “question asker”  and before you know it the credits are rolling and you have missed the main parts of the movie. All you are left with is a wasted 2 hours and a lot of confusion.

When you miss the main parts of a movie – trying to watch the rest of it is just simply annoying. The rest of the movie doesn’t make sense.

Missing the main part of anything is rather frustrating, really.

Burn the entree and the whole meal is ruined.

Forget the basketball and a game of one-on-one is impossible.

Lose the map and the epic, meticulously planned road trip is a bust.

Missing those things would be bad, but what if I told you that you and I are missing something even more vital that affects every part of who we are, every single day?

I wish it weren’t true, but I’m afraid that one of the things I’m most often convicted of missing and forgetting is God’s voice.

More often than I would like to admit I get swept up into the busy-ness of life and indulge on shallow, cheap entertainment in my “free” time. I get captivated by Netflix and social media. It sits waiting, vying for my undivided attention – to which I normally oblige.

Don’t get me wrong. None of those things are bad. I like my guilt-free weekend of Netflix  binging as much as the next person. The problem is, it hardly stays as disciplined as that.

That’s why I shouldn’t act surprised when I begin to feel an emptiness in my soul – a haunting desire for something to satisfy the thirst in my heart.  A thirst that entertainment and materialism will never be able to quench.

See, God isn’t an appetizer or add-on in life – He is the main course.

He isn’t a prop, He is the purpose.

When Jesus talks about “give us this day our daily bread” and “man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” – He is saying that the Father’s voice is only source of satisfaction for our souls.

His voice is the only thing that will fill the voids in our life and feed the emptiness.

All too often though, I find myself starving the deepest parts of my soul while allowing my flesh to become a glutton.

A glutton to things that promise satisfaction, but in actuality only induce more hunger pains.

His Word, His voice – our daily bread – it is truly the only thing that will satisfy. His voice is the only thing that make will sense of our struggles.

Only through the regular ingestion of His Word will we ever experience the abundant life we were meant for, because only through His Word do we know Him more.

Don’t be discouraged though; God is full of grace and mercy. His Word promises that if we will simply draw near to Him then He will draw near to us. (James 4:8) It doesn’t matter how long it’s been since you have drawn near either. I can promise you that He will be waiting with open arms.

Just like the prodigal son returning home I imagine that each time we turn our eyes from the fleeting pleasures of this world and lock eyes with Him, He runs – not walks – to meet us.