Today, I am ill-equipped to write a blog post about the Holy Spirit. I’m exhausted. Last night I fought angry, grieving nightmares all night and woke up completely empty this morning. And as is usually the case when I’m this tired, I’m frustrated, short-tempered, sad, and overwhelmed. And the last thing I feel equipped to do right now is to write a super-spiritual, faith-filled post that tells you that I have all of the answers when, clearly, I don’t.
But that’s the point.
The more I think about it, today is the perfect day for me to write this post. Because I’m empty… Because I’m weak… Because I’m tired… Because I have nothing to give, it just makes it that much more obvious to me that the answer is grabbing hold of the one who makes me complete, gives me strength, and has the answers – The Holy Spirit.
One of the good things about days like this (even though they don’t feel very good) is that all day long, a prayer has never been far from my lips. My prayers haven’t been eloquent, but they’ve been frequent. And though it doesn’t make God happy that I’m feeling sad and weak, it does make Him – and His Spirit – happy to hear my voice.
Francis Chan says, “I want to constantly live with an awareness of His strength.” And if I had strength of my own, I would never get to experience depending on Him.
And so there are days like today.
This post is part of a weekly discussion on Francis Chan’s book, “Forgotten God.” You do *not* have to read the book to follow along with our discussions. Your comments are welcome! If you have written a response to this chapter (chapter one), then please feel free to link up at the widget below. And make sure to hop on over and read the other linked posts, as well as that of my co-facilitator, Jason Stasyszen.
Loading InLinkz ...
About Sarah Salter
Sarah: I totally agree with you, it was the perfect day to write this post. I felt your honesty and I know God blesses us when we come to Him empty and weak. I was feeling similarly the other day (posted about it today) and I know exactly how you feel. Bless you for being obedient to the voice of the Holy Spirit and following through with this post. You, are a blessing! Lori
Lori, I used to think I had to have all of the answers to be worthy to write a blog post. But then I started reminding myself of what the late Tommy Tyson used to say: “I don’t have all of the answers. I just know the one who IS the answer.” 🙂
Thanks!
Amen!! You did good, but you are a child of the Most High God and you/we can go to Him in any state we find ourselves in..Thanks, and I agree, you are a blessing.
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” ~ 2 Corinthians 12:9
We are empty without Him. Whether we realize it or not. When we recognize our weakness and inability, we are better able to witness and radiate His power.
Living with an awareness of His strength–that’s it. When we do the things He gives us to do, go the places He tells us to go, our strength will eventually run out and like you said, that’s the point. He’s so good and gracious to carry us beyond our end to step into His infinite supply. Not happy you are going through difficulty, but thankful for His meeting you and praying He fills you to overflowing with His Spirit and grace! Thanks Sarah.
Amen, Dusty. 🙂
Jason, if I never went through valleys, my life would just be one big plateau and I wouldn’t know what a mountaintop feels like. 🙂
Praise God for day’s like this. While they aren’t “fun” to go through, they certainly help us realize our need of God. And I think it makes God happy when we cry out to Him instead of try to get out of the valley on our own.
As a parent it can be hard to see my son having a bad day, but when he turns to me to help him instead of throwing a fit I’m happy to see the progress he’s making in learning to control his emotions. Perhaps God has similar feelings/outlook on things like this.
Thanks for sharing. Hope you’re getting some rest.
Days like those are not fun. And writing on days like those is somewhat difficult, but it can be one of the best things you can do because you can feel the raw emotions arise within you and write out of the core of who you are. I know of days where I’ve written down words and felt too empty to write anything. Sometimes it’s just what you needed and maybe can even be something that somebody else needed to read or hear. Maybe this is one way that the Holy Spirit works in our lives?