EMPTY VESSELS
«In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me» (Jeremiah 29:12, 13, NLT).
God does not always say what we expect to hear. When we fast or remain quiet to hear His voice, we sometimes have a very restrictive idea of what He will tell us. Although it is not wrong to approach Him with a specific question, He may use the opportunity to share something totally new and different with you. What we are doing by fasting is making room, not manipulating a conversation or earning points on a loyalty card. When we are quiet, we make room, and trust that God will fill us in the best possible way (even if what He chooses to give us is not what we wanted).
Fasting is not manipulating God or forcing Him to do something He does not want to do, but rather attentively and humbly tuning into His frequency. In To Be Told, American theologian and psychologist, Dan Allender, describes it in these words: «Fasting from any food, activity, project or plan . prepares the scene for God to appear. Fasting is not a tool to pull wisdom out of God’s hands, or to force Him to give us the necessary intelligence to make a decision. . . . Fasting is the act . . . of freeing ourselves from our fullness to tune in with our senses.» It is emptying ourselves out so that God can fill us with what He considers best.
It was only when the wine ran out at the wedding in Cana, only when the vessels were empty, that Jesus was able to fill them with something better and new (see John 2:1—12). It is only when we empty ourselves out of our noisy routine and our hearts from wanting to control it all, that God can fill us. In Ye Shall Receive Power, Ellen G. White writes, «What kind of vessels are meet for the Master’s use?—Empty vessels. .
How can the Master use us as vessels for holy service until we empty ourselves, and make room for His Spirit to work?»—p. 111. That is what we do when we approach God by fasting and praying: we make room and yield control. Then, He can fill us with blessings until they overflow.
Dear Lord, today I want to open my heart up to Your truth.
I set aside my agenda, my priorities, and my desire to control it all.
I do not want to spend a single day without listening to Your voice, being stressed and deafened by noise. Today I make space. I make room for You. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.
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Take From: Devotional Thoughts for Women 2022
«NO FEARS»
BY: VANEZA PISSUTO
Collaborators: Alexandra Pérez & Angelica Cuate.