I walk by the empty rooms on a regular basis. Most of the time I’m able to focus on the happy memories of days filled with children’s voices and laughter, but other times are more difficult for me. On those days I miss our boys’ presence in our home as well as all the seasons Steve and I enjoyed with them.
Of course we’d never change where they are in life and what they’re accomplishing, but these realities don’t fill up those empty rooms. Perhaps you can relate. Indeed, I know far too many people who are dealing with vacant spaces in their lives. A dear friend’s youngest child has left for college, and while she’s excited for her daughter, she is also mourning the change in life now that her kids are on their own. Others are facing tremendous sorrow because of a spouse who left, a loved one who succumbed to cancer, or a baby who never came home from the hospital.
Friends, there’s no way to face these kind of losses alone! That’s why I ‘m so thankful that we have a Heavenly Father who knows what we are going through and how to fill up the empty spaces in our lives. Look at these comforting verses from Psalm 147:
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.
(verses 3-5, NIV)
The One who positioned the stars in our universe knows exactly what each of us is dealing with-every day, throughout the day. In the verses above, the psalmist reminds us that He is the God who heals, including hearts that feel like they are breaking.
And if this isn’t enough, we have the security of a future without sadness, loss, and emptiness. One day soon we’ll be in the presence of Jesus who gave us this promise:
Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
(John 14:1-4a, NIV)
That’s right-Jesus is preparing a place for everyone who believes in Him! Notice that He tells of a home with lots and lots of rooms, and God’s greatest desire is to fill them up with His forever family.
This promise for our future helps comfort me in those sad, lonely times. So does telling my Heavenly Father about what’s on my heart and mind. Somehow this humble act of crying out to Him heals me in a way nothing else can. My prayer is that you will find the Lord’s loving comfort today, and may you be filled with His peace and joy in all the seasons yet to come.
Thought of the Month
I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done. I will be filled with joy because of you. I will sing praises to your name, O Most High.
Psalm 9:1-3 (NLT)