An Empty Vessel

Sometimes you feel empty, and it’s a bad thing.  Like when your stomach is hungry or when your heart feels vacant of love.  But there are times when it’s good to be empty, so God can use you for His purpose.  Jeremiah’s passage about the potter illustrates this concept well. Jeremiah 18:1-6 says:

The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear my words. ”So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do. Then the word of the Lord came to me: “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? declares the Lord. Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. (ESV)

In the same way, Romans 9:19-20 says that a vessel’s usefulness depends on its willingness to fulfill the maker’s purpose.

But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? (ESV)

The virtue of a thing is found when it is used for its purpose.  The virtue of a chair is sitting.  the virtue of a lamp is shining.  A pot’s virtue, or usefulness, is found in its emptiness.  You can’t use a pot very well if it’s already full.  In the same way, the usefulness of God’s people is in their emptiness, their willingness to be a vessel that God can fill.

There is a lot of value to be found in emptiness.  I’m reminded of the life of Joseph. The pivotal moments of his life took place when he was in the empty well, and when he was in the depths of his prison. Both of these represented emptiness in Joseph’s own life. It’s in those times when we feel empty that we often discover our purpose.

A window or doorway contains both substance and space.  The frame is substance and the space within is emptiness.  While both are necessary to make a door, it is the empty quality of space: openness and vacuity that make the door what it is.  The virtue of a doorway is in passing through.  Only when the door is open can it possess and employ its virtue.

The Temple in Jerusalem was filled with people, filled with activity, yet it was the emptiness at the hub of the Temple, the Holy of Holies, that gave the Temple meaning. It was only in this emptiness, this quiet place, that God would meet with the High Priest.

In Matthew 6:6, Jesus says,

When you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. (ESV)

This word “room” is translated also as “closet,” but I prefer the term “inner chamber.” Rather than a place where things are stored, it refers to the room where a host would receive familiar guests. In my house, we have the formal living room and the comfortable den. Only the most cherished friends gain admittance to our messy place. This “inner chamber “ is where we meet with God.  And, of course, Jesus is really talking about the messy inner chamber of your heart. Only when your inner chamber is open to the Way, the Truth, and the Life, can you find your virtue, your purpose, your anointing.  I pray that you’ll be find the open and empty spaces in your life to be those places most worth exploring.  I pray that your heart will remain open and receptive to what God wants to put there.

Reprinted with permission from revgregsmith.blogspot.com.

© 2016 by Greg Smith.