Romans 15:13
13 Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.
Philippians 4:19
19 But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
I was married in April, just before turning 23 in July. By the time the next June came around, I was a mom. Before I knew it, I had three children 3 and younger. Although those were incredibly busy years, I would not change a single thing! I’ve lost a bit over the years, still I struggle. Back then,what I was missing in my life, I attempted to substitute with food, sadly at times I still do.
With a husband, three gorgeous, well behaved, healthy children and a darling mother who helped me with anything I needed, from the outside, and even as I read this, it seems like one would find it selfish and unreasonable to imply I was missing out on anything. How could a Christian with so many obvious blessings, claim to be unfulfilled?
Stay with me, and hopefully this will all tie in together (eventually..)..
1951 is when our house was built. Some things have been identified by guests “character” for a place this age, such as the architectural designs, okay, I will go with that; however, the front door locks are a different matter altogether!
When I was a little girl and learned new words, sometimes it got me in trouble, I hope this isn’t the case where I misuse a word or concept, but here it goes. A few months ago, a locksmith estimated replacing the front door accessories, I was told it would be a bit more expensive than I anticipated (what isn’t?). He said the front locks would have to be retrofitted. W H A T???
RETROFIT- to furnish (as a computer, airplane, or building) with new or modified parts or equipment not available or considered necessary at the time of manufacture Merriam-Webster
Boomeranging back in time when I was cramming food into my empty places. I attempted to retrofit my needs but nothing worked. Do you know what walking with the Lord has shown me? He can fill in any void!
I never understood how, as a Christian, I could feel such a sense of lacking. If and when I noticed vacant areas in my life, I had allowed my relationship with Him to occupy, there would have been no sense of urgency and desperation to turn to other things, food for example, to serve as a temporary solution.
I found the more I resorted to stuffing my emptiness with calories, the more insatiable my appetite became. Let me tell you, Jesus is the ONLY one able to satisfy needs! You will neither hunger nor thirst because He is able to retrofit any area of your life!
Having said that, Jesus is not like the jelly in a donut. He is not there simply to fill in the gaps, Our lives are to fill in AROUND Him! He is the air in the tires. He is as vital to us as the blood coursing through our veins. A Christian simply cannot function without Christ.
How we get where we don’t want to be, like my weight for example, is by vainly and desperately attempting to stuff anything into the empty air pockets of our lives. Between food and busying myself with things to do, I sought solace there rather than in Christ to fill my emptiness.
Isaiah 54:5 – For thy Maker [is] thine Husband; the LORD of Hosts [is] His Name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall He be called.
As a little girl, my dad was my hero! I don’t know how many of you have heard this before, so please forgive the repeat if you have. My seventh birthday was in July and Daddy went home to be with the Lord in August 1973. I remember that day in July very well. As usual, being the baby, I had a party. Friends and cousins were there that were both my age and a little older. Well, as sometimes girls will do, they “ganged up” on me and decided that I needed a group birthday spanking. Daddy heard me crying through the screen door and before I knew it, he was sending every one of those girls home, after they apologized!
Psalm 68;5 A Father of the fatherless, and a Judge of the widows, is God in His holy habitation.
Having such a loving father who was there for me when I needed it, has stayed with me. I remember running up to him after Kindergarten when my mom would take me Downtown. I darted into his opened arms then walked with him hand in hand to the barber shop. He would put me on the inside of the sidewalk, away from the street and explain to his baby girl, that the man stands on the outside to protect the lady. He was always the gentleman. I know he would be so glad that I have a chivalrous husband who opens my car door in a day when people just don’t know what to think of that.
With that, I learned at an early age, my Heavenly Father was there to fill the need left by not growing up with an earthly dad. Yes, I did get envious at times, hearing my friends talk about their dads, having them coach softball, walking them down the aisle and all, but truly, the Lord satisfied and comforted my deepest yearnings.
So if, as a child, I was willing to accept the Lord’s ability to grout the crevices of my life, why later and even now, do I insist on seeking nearly anywhere or anyone else to do the same? My heart KNOWS nothing else can do what only God can, but my wicked and deceitful heart, encourages me to go ahead and try!
The enemy distracts us as long as possible, because he knows once we come to realize Christ IS the Answer, the only Way we can truly be satisfied and find peace and much needed rest and contentment, the search will end. The world preys on dissatisfaction! It goes so far as to manufacture it, even where there was none. We want something, we NEED it, so we’re told! We just don’t realize it yet! Well, world, we aren’t falling for it! Take your things, your attempts to show us how vacant we are inside and give us JESUS!
Prayer
O Lord
You Are our All in All
Please be the King in our lives
Of our lives
Please maintain Your place on the throne of our hearts
Let us refrain from abdicating You with someone or something else
Even, and especially ourselves
Your will be done, Precious Father
Please fill us with Yourself
Where we are lacking
Please give us wisdom to seek You out to fill that void
Nothing else can satisfy, O God
Anyone or anything else is temporary
And it runs the risk of consuming us
To You be all power and dominion in our lives
As it has been said
You are either Lord of all or You are not Lord at all
Forgive us, God
When we forget Who You are
Please remind us, Mighty One
Thank You for being there for each one of us when we needed you
In times we went to You
When You offered comfort
You built us up and gave us strength
You kissed our scraped knees
And pick us up when we fall
You are so gracious to forgive us for times we fail to acknowledge You
You, our Father are in the the audience, watching, encouraging
While we take the spotlight in our own life’s stage, Accepting accolades belonging to You
Without so much as a nod in Your direction
Not a thank You nor word of credit we so often give to You FFor our accomplishments made through Your power
In the Name of Jesus, we pray that we will mature, learn and remember to give You the glory
Fill us, O God, with Yourself
And may even a sliver of emptiness find itself in our lives, please seal it with Your presence.
Amen
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Songs
“Fill Me Up”
“Give Me Jesus”
“Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus”
CREDIT:GOD THE FATHER, JESUS THE SON, HOLY SPIRIT, SCRIPTURE
verses provided by the Lord and life experiences of family friends and those the Lord has allowed me
love and encouragement of family and friends
time, effort and energy to write
google, biblegateway, bibletools, youtube
Attachments area
Preview YouTube video Fill Me Up
Fill Me Up
Preview YouTube video Fernando Ortega – Give me Jesus
Fernando Ortega – Give me Jesus
Preview YouTube video Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus by Alan Jackson
