Filling the Void

“The LORD is my shepherd. I lack nothing." Psalm 23:1

I keep hoping that the pain of Doug’s absence will leave me at some point. Some days I do pretty well. But, some days I miss Doug so much it hurts – physically and emotionally. 

Doug was an amazing listener and encourager. We used to talk about everything, and now there are big parts of my life that I don’t discuss with anyone except the Lord. This is a big adjustment for me. I find myself doing something and wanting to tell Doug about it only to realize yet again that he isn’t here.

I’m so glad the Lord is always available for me to talk to!

Now that I’ve learned to hear the Lord’s Voice and the Holy Spirit’s promptings, I am more aware of the ways that He is blessing me throughout my days and how He reminds me of His nearness when the sadness threatens to overwhelm me.

Today is one of those incredible spring days in Central Virginia where the sky is bright blue and filled with white puffy clouds. There is no humidity, and there is a soft breeze. The temperature is in the mid-60s, and it feels like everything that was brown or dormant over the winter has awoken and is suddenly green or about to burst with color. 

I am incredibly fortunate to have very mature trees encircle my backyard. Earlier this afternoon, as I stood on my driveway and looked at the beauty of the lush green trees against the blue sky and I felt the gentle breeze on my face, I was reminded that my God is good. Today is a gift that God created for me to enjoy. My part is to rejoice and be glad in it.

Today is not a day to stay inside, but it is one to sit in the sunshine and bask in the beauty that God has placed all around me. Everywhere I look I see the beauty that He created…just for me. He didn’t have to make the trees so majestic, but He knew on this day I would look at the soft movement of the tree leaves and be comforted by their beauty as an extension of His amazing love for me.

Had I allowed my sadness over missing Doug to dominate my thoughts all day, I would have missed His nudging for me to go outside, to look up and look around, and to once again be reminded of Whose I am.

He sees the void that Doug’s absence has created, and He is always at work on my behalf filling it. He knows what is best for me, and He is bringing new activities and people into my life to fill some of that void. Regardless of whether I feel prepared to receive them and walk into them, He has good plans for me…today and every day for the rest of my life.

Ultimately, God is filling my void…with His Presence, with His peace, with His comfort, and with His provision.

Dear One, bring those areas of your life to the Lord where you feel a lack or void since your beloved passed away. Ask Him to show you what He has for you this day, seeking to be sensitive to His gentle nudging into places of peace and beauty. Then be obedient to whatever He is showing you to do, knowing that He has a blessing just for you…today.

*Toby Mac: “The Goodness”

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Let’s Pray

“Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise His Holy Name. Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits – Who forgives all your sins, and heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, Who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”

Psalm 103:1-5

Dear Lord,

I confess that some days I feel completely depleted. You see the effort that it takes me on those days just to get up and get going. I miss my beloved so much, and I really need You to fill the void that now exists in my spirit and in my day-to-day experience.

Thank You that You are good! Even though losing my beloved, everything that went before that, and everything that has come after, has not always been good, You are the constant goodness in the midst of it all. You long for me to surrender every part of my life to You, especially the places that now feel empty.

So Lord, by faith I now bring to You every part of me that feels empty, and I ask You to fill me up to overflowing. You are the only One that can fill the voids that my beloved’s passing have created. I testify that Your plans for me are good and that You are more than able to redeem all that I have experienced and all that I am feeling.

Today I choose to remember all of Your benefits in my life – the forgiveness of all of my sins, the healing of all of my diseases, the redemption of my life from the pit, and the crowning of my life with Your love and compassion. I believe that You are satisfying my desires with good things and that You are renewing my strength so I can soar like the eagles.

I praise You for Who You are and for Your goodness in my life!

In Your Loving Name I pray,

Amen