Empty Inside? Take These 3 Steps Today and Get Filled
Fog hovers over clear water this morning. I sit in silence as my soul waits for the Healer to reach out and touch these empty places inside of me. When’s the last time you stilled your soul long enough to be real about the places where you feel empty inside?
King David penned these words: “My soul waits in silence for God only.”
I could use this reminder every day of my life.
Because we all have empty spaces.
Places where we’re longing for someone to reach out and offer something substantial – something that lasts.
David continues his song like this:
“From Him is my salvation.
He only is my rock and my salvation,
My stronghold; I shall not be greatly shaken” (Psalm 62:1-2).
And maybe this is the secret.
The Secret for When You Feel Empty Inside
The original word for salvation in this song is yeshuah. Yeshuah denotes victory and the deliverance of God, primarily from external evils, but often with the added spiritual idea of rejoicing. Yeshuah, in the New Testament, is translated into the English word Jesus, our living salvation.
What does this mean for the times when you feel empty inside?
Jesus comes to fill our empty spaces. He shows up as our salvation time after time. He saves us from ourselves, our compulsions, our escapist behaviors, and the empty cisterns to which we turn when we feel empty.
But what does it look like on a practical level? What should we do when we fill empty inside?
Here are a few suggestions:
1. Create Space for Silence and Solitude
Silence and solitude create space for our souls to breathe. We discover space to uncover our truest desires. God will use silence to show you where you are turning to the wrong sources to fill your empty places. He will show you his desire to fill you where you feel empty inside.
The next time you feel empty inside, make room for ten minutes of silence.
Allow the chaos within your soul to settle.
In silence, we often uncover the truth about our lives: soul-level exhaustion, grief, and emptiness. Silence creates space for God to show up and meet us where we are.
In the silence, we discover soul-level exhaustion, grief, and empty spaces that can be filled by God alone. Silence creates space for God to show up and meet us where we are. #slience #seekingGod Share on X2. When You Feel Empty Inside, Drink From the Word of Life
I read my Bible every day, but I do not always drink deeply from the Word. If you are at all like me, you’ve had many encounters with your Bible that did not fill your soul.
The reason is often simple: We need to drink deeply from this Word – not hurrying through it or simply crossing it off a list. Is your Bible reading leading you to life-giving encounters with God? If not, it’s time to step into it with a different plan.
Here are a few resources to get you started:
Tools for the Days when Your Bible Time is Boring.
If Your Bible Reading Looks More Like Mindless Skimming: How to Encounter God in Life-giving Ways.
3. Fill Your Emptiness by Pouring Out
Ironically, I often feel empty inside when I have spent too much time focusing on myself and my desires. I feel empty inside when I have not poured out to others.
I sometimes focus on what’s wrong and forget to fix my eyes on what is right.
Self-pity gets the best of me. I become frustrated with the people in my life.
Other times, a comfortable season lulls me into complacency.
Do any of these statements resonate with you? Ask God where he is asking you to join him in bringing hope and healing to a hurting world. Listen for a gentle nudge, and follow where he leads. We can find ourselves empty when we forget that God is working in our lives for the benefit of others.
If you are feeling empty today, pray about which of the above ideas might help you align yourself with God. He wants to meet you in this place and offer you the most abundant kind of life.
A Free Gift for When You Feel Empty Inside:
Today, I invite you to let Jesus hold you as he begins healing your heart when you feel empty inside. For a limited time, I’m offering a free chapter from my book, Lean Into Grace. The title of this chapter is “Crying in the Bathroom,” and it will help you experience God’s tender comfort when life is hard. Download this chapter right here today with promo code GRACE. God is waiting to hold you in his arms and heal your heart. 
Calling all moms and daughters—and parents of boys!
As the parent of two sons and a daughter, I have a heart for helping parents develop deeper relationships with their children and with God. Our kids, ages 6, 11, and 14, share this vision. They have helped me write three family devotionals for parents or grandparents to read with the children they care about.
God’s Warrior: Devotions for Boys Who Want to Grow in Courage and Strength is for boys ages 5-13. Now, more than ever, our world needs men who are willing to courageously carry God’s love into the world. Written with input from our two young sons, Aiden and Caleb, ages six and eleven, this book will help the boys you care about find courage and strength in God. Find this life-changing devotional book here.
Devotionals for Girls
Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith is written for girls ages 7-12. It includes 60 devotions with Scripture, conversation starters, and a shared journaling section for moms and daughters after each devotion. I wrote this book with the help of our daughter, Bekah, when she was eleven. Find this one-of-a-kind shared devotional here.
Heart to Heart: A Mother-Daughter Devotional With 50 Devotions for Teen Girls is for teenage girls ages 13-20. It includes 50 devotions, each with a shared journaling section to help moms and daughters connect through writing. This is a great book for moms who want to communicate about awkward topics—like dating, sexuality, peer pressure, and more—but don’t know where to start. Bekah and I will help you right here.
All three books are available in print and eBook form here on Amazon. They are also free on the Kindle Unlimited plan, which you can enjoy with a free three-month trial! These books make great gifts, and you don’t need to be the parent of young children to read them. Share them with your grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or the young ones you love.
Learn Why Willpower Doesn’t Work and Experience God’s Deliverance and Healing
God wants to work in your life to accomplish what you’ve been unable to do through willpower alone. Lean Into Grace: Let God’s Grace Heal Your Heart, Refresh Your Soul, and Set You Free shares practical ways to experience God’s freedom, healing, power, and presence in your life. Find this life-changing book as a free eBook on Kindle Unlimited or for 12.99 in print right here. (If you do not have Kindle Unlimited, you can try it out with a free three-month trial!) This book will transform your life and revitalize your relationship with the Lord!
