When I Empty Myself, God Fills Me Completely

From: December 16-22, 2008 Study #571

TOPIC: “WHEN I EMPTY MYSELF, GOD FILLS ME COMPLETELY” Jeremiah 42: 20-22

Many people like to consult God when they are going to make decisions. It is convenient to have the voice of God for the steps we will take in life. But, we have to consider that God is clear, righteous, and firm when He responds to our requests. He is not going to change His plans because of our whim or desire. He will always have the best for us, even if the path He shows us may times appears to be the most difficult one. It is of no use to ask God for direction, if beforehand we already have intentions and decisions made. Then, to ask for God’s voice and direction, we have to be willing to hear what He tells us, to respect that word and obey it. How? By casting out all prejudice, human voice, selfopinion, and any decision made in advance. Men cry a lot so that God will speak to them and lead them. When someone receives or hears God’s voice, he receives a word that penetrates him, and there is nothing or no one that can steal it, not tiredness, or animosity, nothing. Then, we want to tell the entire world that we are moved by God’s advice; that we walk in His will. But, like I said before, the only way that we succeed in receiving a word from God and act according to it is by getting rid of ourselves. Then, the Lord will fill us with Himself and His words. If we listen to God’s voice and obey it, it would be something terrific. But, mankind, because of his concupiscence, does not like to be led by God. When you have a decision to make, but it is already made, hidden in your heart, please do not call others to consult God. If this is how things are, it is better not to ask, not to consult anything. Because many seek and hear God’s advice, but finally they do not honor or receive it, and choose to do what best pleases them even if they fail. The following biblical narration illustrates this. In Jeremiah 42: 20-22, a group of Israelites that had remained in Jerusalem after the captivity went looking for Jeremiah, the prophet of those times, the man whom God had called to proclaim the message to the people. They came to find Jeremiah so that he would speak to them on behalf of God. Jeremiah 42: 2-3 Jeremiah said to them: “Good, I will go to consult God.” When we consult God, in occasions God speaks immediately, but sometimes He takes longer. In this case we can see that it took God 10 days to respond to these men. Johanan was the leader, but he was full of arrogance and of the decisions he had already made. He had already thought of what he was going to do. Jeremiah 43: 1-2 They went to Jeremiah pretending to be submissive, “almost humble”. Johanan and that group wanted to pretend that they were men that sought God’s advice, but it was not like this, everything was a pure lie in them. They went to Jeremiah with their own thoughts; everything was an appearance. Jeremiah 42: 20-21 I ask you, how many sincere people do you find today? Because they seem like friends, but suddenly they betray you; they always have a double intention. They ask us for prayer, but the thing is that our life is too important for us to get mixed up with them. They would have to be gentle, and it is very unlikely to find them because a gentle person bows his head and obeys, and does not resist. Therefore, let us seek God’s advice in meekness and do well. We cannot work in anything according to what God wants when we are full of ourselves. Many seek their own well-being, but not the well-being

of others. If we stopped seeking for ourselves, Jehovah would give us His direction and move His hand from Heaven. But this can only happen only when we stop being ambitious. Life passes and soon vanishes. We think we can dominate it easily. We think we’re too clever, but it is not this way. If as Christians our desire was truly to seek God’s direction, surely we would have it. God’s direction for the humble is by faith; it is what cannot be seen, nothing that can produce security or emotions. Simply, it is a belief in the great and powerful God that has called us. God cannot be seen, and that is why we have to believe Him, wait, and mature. It is not the big plans we make. Jeremiah had to be empty so that God could fill him day after day. We have to wait in God, and in occasions waiting makes us desperate. Jeremiah knew what was in them, but he accepted the petition they made to him to pray. Regardless if the Word was good or bad, they said they were going to obey it. But that was a lie because they were not going to obey. How difficult it is when the voice of God compromises us! There is a lot we can say and have many reasons and keep everyone happy, but we have to be obedient to listen and understand God’s voice. Jehovah told those men that He would edify them, that they will not be destroyed, that they will be planted and that they will not be uprooted. He gave them promise after promise, and told them not to be worried about the King of Babylon because Jehovah would take care of him, and He gave them the last great promise, that He would return them to their land. Did Jehovah speak well or not? But they were full of fear, and disobedience dominated them, so they discarded the Lord’s promises. God gives us promises and makes a commitment to us, He wants us to rise in Him; He wants to plant us. Then, why shall I fear if I have everything to gain with Jehovah? But we do not want to choose the promises because we are full of fear and disobedience. That is why we walk too much and stumble with our own selves. God told Jeremiah: “If they do not obey and go to Egypt in disobedience thinking that hunger, the noises of war, and the sword will not be there…” Jeremiah 42: 15, 16 That is the way we are, looking for security in Egypt and not in Jehovah, looking for refuge where there is none. Fear embraces us and destroys us; the lack of faith asphyxiates us. We talk like the wicked and make wrong decisions on our own and with our back to God as though it didn’t matter, forgetting about Jehovah who has liberated us from evil. If you escape running away to Egypt, do you think that the sword, the plague, and hunger will not reach you? Do you think that Jehovah has to support you when you go to Egypt? How can we seek to rest in something or in someone who cannot help us? Why abandon the one in whom we have believed? We do not have to go anywhere to escape, but to Him, because there is no one else. Jehovah said to them clearly: “Do not go to Egypt.” Why consult Jehovah if you are not going to obey? Many people like them do not listen because Jehovah did not tell them what they wanted to hear, but He told them the opposite. Because we seek what can make us great, powerful. Human beings can betray, but God is faithful. Those who disobey like Johanan end up in hunger, famine, pestilence, and wherever they go they will die. But, we do not seek the glory of men but we struggle each day to remain faithful. In the world there is death, but those who obey live for God, move in God, work for God, give themselves to God, and WILL SEE IN THEIR LIVES ALL HIS PROMISES FULFILLED. AMEN.