There is a desire inside that never sleeps. It is never fully satiated, remaining unfulfilled and out of reach. We might try to fill it with things, with stuff and experiences. But still it murmurs to us like a deep soul longing nothing else can fully satisfy.
We listen and begin to recognise it as the voice of the holy. A vacuum within. A God-shaped hole. An emptiness yearning to be filled. An eternal echo which has unsettled us since the awakening of inner awareness first occurred.
““There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of each man which cannot be satisfied by any created thing but only by God the Creator, made know through Jesus Christ.” — Blaise Pascal
Now it cries out with gentle persistence and speaks to us of things beyond our mortal existence. It offers us an invitation to have a secure, hope-filled soul, a life recalibrated, redeemed, renewed and restored by grace. And a lifelong infusion of merciful, unconditional love, unlike any we have known before.
We can silence it. Or try to numb its urgency with numerous distractions and activities. But still it speaks. It offers us a taste of eternity in the here and now, and gives us a freedom of spirit we secretly yearn for. It asks us to brave the cold winds of rejection by the world, including, sometimes, our loved ones, family and friends.
And so we vacillate. We are lured by the holy desire it calls us to know and experience for ourselves. Lured by the love and the promises. And deterred, truth be told, by what it is asking of us. Nothing short of it all: our lives, our time, our hearts and minds, our souls, our willing allegiance and surrender, our faith, be it minuscule at best.
This calling asks for all we are now because it can transform us into the people we need to be in the future. It desires everything we possess because it gives us far more than we think we might lose. God already loves us with infinite tenderness, and always has our best interests at heart. How might we respond?
“There I will give her back her vineyards, and will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope.” – Hosea 2:15
The fascinating thing is that God gives us riches and refreshment in the desert itself. A place where we feel bereft. A season when all seems lost, and times when our faith gets stretched to the utmost.
We have troubles, our own Valley of Achor, where we discover a Holy hope which gives us relief and the ability to persevere. Our areas of greatest challenge become places where we meet mightily with God. Because He is the lifter of our heads and hearts. The restorer of our jaded souls.
“God has remained ever faithful. And his desire for you? Joy. Peace. Hope. All of which come from him.” – Mary DeMuth, Healing Every Day: A 90 Day Devotional Journey
Much patience and faith are required as we wait for God’s timing, and trust that things currently unseen will be revealed. This can be compared to waiting for the tide to turn and the sea to yield its gifts to us.
How have you found this to be true in your own life? Do share in the comments below.
Words of Joy 
Dear Joy,
Oh, yes, Amen! I too have found this so true: “We have troubles, our own Valley of Achor, where we discover a Holy hope which gives us relief and the ability to persevere. Our areas of greatest challenge become places where we meet mightily with God. ” He does bring that Holy Hope, in ways that are inexpressible in their sweetness. I have been on this road of chronic illness for less time than you, my dear friend, and yet I have found His presence here also. In a place where I could only see loss, when I look with my own eyes, He has given HIMSELF when I have been so thirsty and dry. Thank you for your precious understanding on this journey. May He bless you with deep refreshing, as you bring us refreshing through your words! Love and hugs across the pond! xo
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Dear Bettie, I think you’ve had your eyes open to this Holy Hope far more than I did early on in my journey with chronic illness. Because I suddenly lost my job (after battling to hang on to it for ages) and had to concede I was too unfit to work again, I swiftly became depressed. Then I had counselling for several years, so I really wasn’t in the right mindset to see where God was in it all or how to live well with these altered circumstances. It’s taken me a long time to learn the things I know now, and I’m glad you’ve done so sooner. I think we are naturally drawn to focusing on the loss, whereas God wants us to see the hidden gifts of this greater dependency on Him. As you know well, the consolation of His presence makes all the difference in the world to our ability to cope. I’m thankful for the insights you have gleaned and the way you help me to stay focused on God above everything. May you be refreshed yourself as you share so openly from your heart. Love and hugs returned to you, my dear friend! xo 💜❤
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Oh, that aching emptiness we try so hard to fill but can only be filled with God Himself. How precious it is that God gives hope in our individual Valleys of Achor. It’s amazing that He is so willing to give to us that “lifelong infusion of merciful, unconditional love, unlike any we have known before.” Thank you for these hope-filled reflections of truth, Joy! Love and blessings to you!
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Trudy, the sad thing is we often continue to try to fill the emptiness we feel inside with other people or other things even when we have a close relationship with God. It can take us time to fully grasp that God is for us and only He can truly satisfy the aching yearnings of the human heart. I think it requires insight from Holy Spirit and experiences of soul dependency on Him to help show us the error of our ways. Or maybe that’s just me… 😉 Blessings and love to you, dear friend! It’s a joy to see you here again! xo 💜
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“This calling asks for all we are now because it can transform us into the people we need to be in the future. It desires everything we possess because it gives us far more than we think we might lose.” Amen. So much truth in this post, Joy. And yes, we do need patience and sometimes it’s just so hard, isn’t it? But He gives us infinitely more than we give up when we surrender to Him. Thank you for your thoughts here. Blessings, love and hugs to you dear sister/poet/friend! xoxo
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Oh, Gayl, yes it is so hard sometimes. Patience doesn’t come easy for many, including me. God frequently puts us in situations that test us to the limit in His efforts to teach and develop the spiritual fruit we need. Yet the key thing is just what you have say here: “But He gives us infinitely more than we give up when we surrender to Him.” Amen! That includes the frustration we feel when life doesn’t go our way, because His peace helps us overcome all things. I’m grateful for your thoughtful presence, the insights you have gleaned, and for adding to the conversation here. Blessings, love and hugs to you too, dear sister/poet/friend! xoxo 💜
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