Have you ever experienced a void in your spirit?
I’m not talking about the moments you remain seated while a number of other saints stand up and clap in support of the Word; nor am I referring to the times you don’t always feel like singing along during worship service.
I’m talking about hitting a brick wall.
Have you ever been in the House of the Lord and felt absolutely nothing at all? No urge to clap your hands, no joy during song service, no desire to even be there?
For those of us who are activity involved in church and who daily pursue a walk with God, this idea seems rather impossible.
How could one possibly not feel the presence of the Lord while hearing hymns of His praises sung by an entire congregation in unison?
How could one ignore the contagious passion of a speaker when the Word is spoken with conviction and truth?
If you have not experienced a spiritual void yourself, know that it is possible. Someway, somehow faith can be lost, trust can be tested, and His light can be left to fade out.
I met with a young woman recently who was experiencing this exact scenario. She admitted to me that she finds herself questioning the Word and feels empty in His house. The same young lady who was just months ago bringing visitors to church, praying at the altar, and boldly proclaiming her faith on social media was now experiencing a great and deep void in her spirit.
VOID
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a completely empty space | to discharge or drain away
As her youth leader and her friend, my heart crumbled. How did this happen? Who or what is to blame for this tragic loss? My mind was racing with questions but one prevailed over the rest: how can this problem be fixed?
I racked my brain for the solution. Maybe I could give her a Bible study once a week, I could check in with her before every service to encourage her to attend, or maybe I should ask her parents to be more supportive of the faith even though they don’t believe it themselves? None of these seemed like the absolute solution. After a few worry sessions I realized there was nothing I could personally do to resolve this issue: the only One who could fix this issue and revive this young lady’s spirit was the Lord.
I don’t believe God left this young lady, I believe she allowed distraction to enter into her spiritual walk and other things quickly became a priority. If we do not take the time to tend to our faith every day it will become fragile. If we don’t consume the Word and experience a refilling of our spirit on a regular basis, we will be prone to distraction and before we know it we will start skipping church services from time to time, we won’t talk to church members as often as we used to, and we will find ourselves talking to God even less.
A weak faith can be shattered so easily.
Do not allow yourself to reach a point where you experience a spiritual void. Push through the doubt and remove the distractions. Speak to God daily and reach out to saints for help. Your faith can be restored; you’re never too far gone.
“..continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven..”
{Colossians 1:23}
All I could tell this young woman was to keep pushing, and you should do the same if you ever experience spiritual void: read your Bible when you don’t want to, make a point to be at church every time there is an opportunity, and pray even when you don’t think God listens or will answer your needs.
God always listens and He always responds. Give Him complete control of your needs, I guarantee you He will not forsake you and will bring you out of the void that seems to surround you.