When You Feel Hollow Inside
Easter festivities together. Lots of smiles, love, laughter. At least that’s the way the camera captured the moment and the way most of us want to remember our lives and the way we’d like others to perceive us; picture perfect. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying life and capturing those moments to remind us of the blessings of family and friends. But the truth is, we all carry within us a brokenness that can leave us feeling hollow inside—a yearning, a craving, a sunken, unfilled or unfulfilled space deep inside, wishing our lives were different in some way. Sometimes that broken hollowness is because someone or something excavated something out of us, they robbed us emotionally, physically, maybe even spiritually. We think that if we create this faux appearance that everything is wonderful we can somehow fill that hollow place in our hearts.
Have you ever thought of that broken hollow place as a good thing? Instead of trying to hide it, embrace it as the means to allow our soul craving needs to be met and mended by the power and presence of God. When we invite Him into our brokenness we find that what we’ve been yearning for all this time is more of Him and less of ourselves. Often when our soul craving need for God is greatest, He is the last place we turn for satisfaction. This is when we fill ourselves with things that cannot satisfy, leading to addictions to all the wrong places and things. An addiction is when we direct what is meant to be our God-hunger to the wrong source of soul satisfaction.
In Psalm 63, we see the Psalmist David hiding in the wilderness. He’s weary from being hunted in order to be killed by order of the king. He’s tired, lonely, depressed, and yearning God’s presence, provision, and protection. I think we can all relate to those feelings from time to time. . . that feeling when life leaves you hollow inside and feeling desperate to have it filled. Let’s read the Psalmist’s prayer and see how his broken hollowness was filled.
O God, You are my God;
Early will I seek You;
My soul thirsts for You;
My flesh longs for You
In a dry and thirsty land
Where there is no water.
2 So I have looked for You in the sanctuary,
To see Your power and Your glory.3 Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,
My lips shall praise You.
4 Thus I will bless You while I live;
I will lift up my hands in Your name.
5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness,
And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.6 When I remember You on my bed,
I meditate on You in the night watches.
7 Because You have been my help,
Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.
8 My soul follows close behind You;
Your right hand upholds me.9 But those who seek my life, to destroy it,
Shall go into the lower parts of the earth.
10 They shall fall by the sword;
They shall be a portion for jackals.11 But the king shall rejoice in God;
Everyone who swears by Him shall glory;
But the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped.Psalm 63 New King James Version
Lord, I bring my unspoken brokens to You. I ask for the broken, hollow places—those places of my soul that are craving to be filled, to be filled with You. May I use those broken places as an opening to pour You out upon others. May my brokenness be seen as a conduit of blessing. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Amen to that, Marsha. We often do turn to things that can’t fill that hollowness, only God can fill.
Thanks, Iris! If we would only remember the power that is within us because of the resurrection.
You’re so right. Those hollow places are a reminder, and Jesus is the only One who can fill them up.
The scripture you quoted from Psalm 63 reminds me of a great song from “Second Chapter of Acts” – they were contemporary Christian music back in the 70s!
I remember that group – saw them in concert. But I’m not sure which song you’re referring to. Could you let me know? Could you let me know? Psalm 63 is one of the passages I’m teaching from at a women’s retreat next weekend.
Great post Marsha! We all have some of those hollow spots that God can fill. I remember Second Chapter of Acts- also saw them in concert!
“Only Jesus can satisfy our soul…”
one of my favorite psalms.
I’m so glad God responds to our desperation.