Like the rest of America and much of the Western world, we awoke on Wednesday morning to the news that a demented, homicidal maniac had rammed his truck into a crowd in New Orleans. In a terrifying moment, their New Year’s celebration was turned into chaos, panic, and mind-numbing fear. Earlier in the week, I had been working on the post I was planning for our first edition for 2025, and was thinking about my first major roller coaster ride. For my intro, I was comparing that experience with facing the beginning of a new year, and in doing that, I had written this statement about climbing aboard a roller coaster . . . 

“We don’t know exactly what’s coming, or when, but we know that once we’re strapped in, we can’t get out ‘til the ride’s over. There will be weird twists we didn’t anticipate, turns we weren’t prepared for, sudden drops that paralyze our lungs, and exposure to forces that leave us with nothing we can do but scream.” 

An Unexpected Connection ~
Listening to the reports about the deadly New Orleans’ assault brought my earlier roller coaster comment back to mind, and the analogy led in directions I hadn’t previously considered. Both, for instance, involve us physically, but how we assess, react to, and assimilate the experience of both the roller coaster and the new year has a great deal to do with the status of our non-physical preparation as we approach them. No adjustment of our mental, emotional, and spiritual perspective can prevent tough days or painful events from happening. But like the shoulder harness on a roller coaster, proper preparation can help insulate us from the impact of forces we can’t control. One in particular comes into focus for my wife and me every year with the dawn of January 1. 

Along with many of our church members, we set aside the first 21 days of January every year as a time for fasting and prayer together. There is strength and encouragement in participating in godly rhythms together as a body of believers. Those days are not just about skipping meals, losing weight, or adding another New Year’s resolution. They’re about strengthening our relationship with God and each other. For us, it’s a time for sacrificing some of our usual routines and practices in order to heighten our awareness of God’s presence and to seek a stronger and more intimate relationship with Him. Those meetings with God include praise, confession, repentance, and cleansing in any areas that may hinder our communion with Him. Fasting is about renewing our vision for the things He has called and equipped us to do, both individually and as a team. And the simple process itself can be a mechanism for God to illustrate lessons we might otherwise miss, one of which I feel compelled to share as we begin this new year together.  

Not as Insignificant as It Seems ~
Like most folks, when I don’t eat for a while, I feel empty and I get hungry. That condition is not on my list of warm, fuzzy, comfortable feelings that I want to curl up with at night. The concept of emptiness might seem like an insignificant issue, but experiencing it can be disturbing. In us as human beings, a sense of emptiness is a blend of physical and mental components. It’s a state that refuses to be ignored and that persistently demands that something be done to alleviate the discomfort. Emptiness can become an insistent and powerful motivator, and left unaddressed, it can lead to desperation and become a ruthless taskmaster. 

Given its potential effect on every one of us, God didn’t ignore this commonplace issue. As a matter of fact, to Him, the concept of emptiness was important enough to use one of Israel’s most prominent kings to illustrate the extent of its power. The unparalleled wisdom God bestowed on Solomon enabled him to accumulate unprecedented wealth, power, and privilege. And it also provided him with a unique capacity to observe life in this sin-cursed world and evaluate the forces that motivate and drive human beings. Solomon’s ultimate conclusion is almost shockingly brief, but it delivers a message that can be incredibly enlightening. He simply said this:

“Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher;
“Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.” (Ecclesiastes 1:2 NKJV)

 A Weaponized Concept ~
The word translated as vanity is used to illustrate things that are futile, worthless, and unfulfilling – things that are irreconcilably empty. Solomon declared that from a purely human perspective, life is more than just empty. It is emptiness multiplied to a degree that is undefinable and incomprehensible. The threat that Solomon’s emptiness represents is one of Satan’s primary strategic weapons. Since the beginning, he has used it to manipulate people to willingly engage in behaviors that are not only self-destructive, but toxic to those around us and that are directly oppositional to God and everything He represents. 

We’re entering this new year surrounded by a culture constantly warning us of scarcity, and escaping its influence is virtually impossible. In a multitude of ways, we’re manipulated and driven by the ever-present specter of insufficiency: 

• • We wrestle with the fear of not having enough, not being enough, not achieving enough, and not knowing enough. 
  • We worry about running out of money, missing opportunities, or losing out because we made the wrong move. 
  • Thoughts that we might be rejected and isolated alone because we posted the wrong meme, wore the wrong garment, went to the wrong concert, or voted for the wrong candidate can be obsessive. 

The threat of deprivation that scarcity represents can become the underlying force guiding our lives on many levels, but God has an infinitely better alternative to offer.  

Contrasting Concepts ~
There is a stark contrast that exists between the utter futility of life without God that Solomon described and one of the major qualities that the living God we serve brings with Him. Let’s begin to consider the comparison by asking what the polar opposite of absolute emptiness might be. Hopefully, none of us would have to whip out our iPhone and google it to find the answer. The opposite of abject, total emptiness would be fullness – to such a degree that not even the smallest particle could be added. Now, suppose we ask if there’s an inherent quality in Jesus that could help us with our struggle in this area. The answer is clear:

 For it pleased the Father that in Him [Jesus], all the fullness should dwell (Colossians 1:19 NKJV)

For in Him [Jesus] dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power. (Colossians 2:9–10 NKJV)

As we mentioned earlier, the contents of the un-lived days waiting to dawn on us in 2025 are largely a mystery. We can project generalizations based on past experiences, but that’s about the best we can do when it comes to predictions. But there’s One Who does know all that’s coming our way and Who offers to confront every minute of that with us. He knows the deprivations we fear, the anxieties we feel, and the circumstances we dread. But He who embodies all that fullness means, and Who knows no scarcity, can silence its deceitful voice. 

There’s a Better Option ~
So, instead of facing life as an endless effort to avoid the world’s threat of scarcity and deprivation, why not consider the better option? God is the absolute epitome of abundance – and Jesus embodies it all. In Him, we can face this year and all that might follow it, knowing that there’s no important void He cannot fill, no need He cannot meet, no righteous desire He cannot satisfy, and no loss, grief, or pain He can’t guide us through. 

Fullness – the kind of fullness that completes us and brings lasting joy and satisfaction, is something God wants for all of us. But we need to recognize that it isn’t an automatic reaction to a 30-second prayer. The quest for fullness is a continuous relational process – one that draws us incrementally closer to Him. With active involvement being an obvious prerequisite, the benefits that come as a result, are incredible. David declared it like this … 

How precious ‘is’ Your lovingkindness, O God!
Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.
They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house,
And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures.
For with You ‘is’ the fountain of life;
In Your light we see light. (Psalm 36:7–9 NKJV)

__________________________________________

Over the next few sessions, we’ll be focusing on a fascinating paradox associated with the practice of ‘fasting’ we mentioned earlier. Please join us as we continue to explore “Emptying Our Way to Fullness … ” 

“TWEETABLES” ~ Click to Tweet & Share from the pull quotes below. Each quote links directly to this article through Twitter.

• • • Vanity, as translated, represents futile, worthless, unfulfilling things. Solomon declared from a purely human perspective, life is more than just irreconcilably empty. It is emptiness multiplied to a degree that’s undefinable and incomprehensible. @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)
    • Solomon’s emptiness represents one of Satan’s primary strategic weapons. Since the beginning, he has used it to manipulate people to willingly engage in self-destructive behaviors, toxic to those around us, and directly oppositional to God and all He represents. @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)
    • God knows all that’s coming our way, offering to confront every minute with us. He knows deprivations we fear, anxieties we feel, circumstances we dread. He embodies all that fullness means, knows no scarcity, and can silence its deceitful voice. @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)  
    • God is the absolute epitome of abundance – and Jesus embodies it. In Him, there’s no important void He cannot fill, no need He cannot meet, no righteous desire He cannot satisfy, and no loss, grief, or pain He cannot guide us through. @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)

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