And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
Luke 2:7 NASB
The emptiness of the little makeshift bed strikes me this morning…
The NASB notes another translation for manger… feeding trough…
I think about our own emptiness… our hunger to be filled… and how we try to satisfy it with all sorts of things…
Making room in our lives for people… hobbies… careers… collections… power… popularity… entertainment… escape…
Always… in pursuit of something to fill… the time… the longing… the need… because He created us with a single purpose in mind… to be filled…
He created us for relationship with Him… but since we broke relationship in the garden… we’ve tried to fill the emptiness with an endless list of things… which… no matter how much we have of those things… still leave us unsatisfied… longing… wanting more…
He’s the only One who fills… satisfies… the emptiness He created in our hearts…
He pursues us… places us… where we are most likely to find Him…
And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us…
Acts 17:26-27 ESV
He whispers His glory in all creation… so we might see Him…
For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities — his eternal power and divine nature — have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
Romans 1:20 NIV
Yet… sometimes… we miss it… miss Him… and our need for Him…
Having made room in our lives for everything but Him… some of us walk away…
Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property.
Matthew 19:21-22 NASB
What are you making room for in your life…? are you filling it with Him…?
What might you need to remove from your life…? give away…? sell…? which is keeping you from Him…? distracting…? deceiving…? from what truly fills…?
Advent… waiting for the King… means making sure we make room for Him… for what’s real… and not what ultimately only leaves us empty…
Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
Psalm 90:14 ESV
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