Running on empty

Job 42:2 (ESV)

 “I know that you can do all things,

    and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.

"I've been running on empty," the man said.

"Not possible," his daughter corrected him.

"Sure it is," he replied. "I am simply going through the motions."

"Something's keeping you going. You can't go through the motions without the energy to do so," she responded.

"I just don't care. I just have no interest in life."

They sat quietly for a few moments just looking out at the world around them.

"Apparently life has interest in you," the young woman said softly.

He looked at her without saying a word, his eyes blinking periodically as they filled with tears.

"You're just like her," he said.

She turns her head toward him and says, "That's a good thing. She's just what you need."

A small bird flutters in from the nearby tree landing in front of them.

"Can you imagine if birds felt the same way?" She asked.

"What?"

"Birds. Imagine if birds woke up and said, "I don't feel like flying today. I just don't feel like being a bird."

"That's silly," he said.

"It's silly that you don't feel like living, too. What right do you have to decide that?"

Shaking his head and flailing his hands about, he struggled for a response.

"Look, Mom's gone. The same God who called her home is responsible for you remaining here. You're not "running on empty," you're running on His will, His time, His reason for ever having created you. There's still life left in you and you're wasting it," she said.

"You are just like her," he said. Then as he stood up he added,

"Thank God."

"And you're just like Him. Live up to it."

No one runs on empty who has God in their life. If you are feeling uninspired, without a purpose or direction, take time to reconnect to the Source. God is ever present even when you feel alone. God is never ending even when you think you have come to a dead end. Simply call on Him and listen. He will always respond.

It may not be what you want to hear but it will always be what you need. He is the source of your joy and the resource for your emptiness.

Dear Lord, thank You that we can all upon You and You will hear us. Help us when we fill like we are on empty remember that You are there to fill us and that You have a purpose for us. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.