The Blessing of Nothing

And she said unto them, Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me.

I went out full and the Lord hath brought me home again empty – Ruth 1:20-21

Empty. Oh, how we hate that word. You hear mothers tell their children, “Look at the glass as half full, not half empty.” We sadly reminisce over the empty building down the street where people used to constantly congregate. We don’t like empty houses, empty chairs or empty nests. And we definitely don’t like empty wallets.

What if, though, being empty wasn’t a punishment, but an opportunity? Naomi, so focused on her own pain, didn’t see the potential for blessings. Instead, she saw only the barrenness of her life. Yes, she came back empty, but she also came back ready to receive from the Lord. Without her emptiness, she never would have been blessed so abundantly through Boaz.

We see this time and again throughout the Bible. You have Joseph, sitting in a prison, forgotten by even those he helped. No family, at least none that cared. No money. No freedom. I’d say Joseph’s life was pretty empty. But Joseph was right where he needed to be for God to fill his life with so many blessings that they would overflow onto everyone that came in contact with him.

Or look at Martha and Mary. An empty bedroom. An empty space in their life. They had a gaping hole that should have been prevented by their Savior… right? But from that emptiness, from that pain that held Mary back, came Christ’s opportunity to show that He is the resurrection and the Life.

David. Just a lowly shepherd. Peter. A simple fisherman with a major attitude. Hosea. Left time and again by the one he was commanded to love. Daniel. Abandoned by all and thrown into a pit. Each one seemed like they had nothing. But each one found out God would provide everything they needed.

My favorite example of emptiness, however, comes on the third day after Christ’s crucifixion. That Friday before, Mary Magdalene had lost everything. The only one who’d ever been able to break the chains around her was gone. That was hard enough, but imagine the absolute pain that came when she found the empty tomb. To Mary the emptiness was devastating.

But as she wept in the garden, Mary soon discovered that the empty tomb that had up to that moment meant death, now stood for life.

For it’s in the empty tomb, we find hope for tomorrow, victory over death, triumph over sin and freedom for today.

It proves our Savior’s love and power. His faithfulness and authority.

Isn’t it ironic, then, that we cringe so much at anything that is empty? Our faith is built, yes on the cross of Calvary, but also in that empty tomb.

So if you’re looking at your life, staring at empty hands, thinking you have nothing to offer. Just wait. Emptiness is not a curse. It’s an opportunity for God to fill you with His power.