Miracles and Voids
MIRACLES and VOIDS.
We can learn much about how God works miracles and changes in our lives by looking at His first miracle - Creation, as it gives the blue-print for how He works.
Genesis1:1: 'In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.' God (Elohim - the Three in One) created a TRIUNE Space-Time-Matter universe.
This is followed by a mysterious verse:
v2; 'And the earth was without form (tohu = disordered), and void (bohu = empty), and darkness was upon the face of the deep.'
So, the earth was initially
(1) an unstructured, disordered chaos,
(2) empty of life, and
(3) unenergised (no light).
Why? - One reason may be to teach a spiritual lesson about how God works generally. This describes the parts of our life without God.
The same concepts ('tohu va bohu') are found in Isaiah 45:18:
'Thus says the LORD Who created the heavens; God Himself who formed the earth and made it; He has established it, He created it not in vain ('tohu' = without form ), He formed it to be inhabited (not bohu = not empty or void) I am the LORD; and there is none else.'
The final state was not disorder and emptiness but it started that way, then God formed and filled it.
Then God worked a miracle: 'And the Spirit of God moved (hovered, oscillated) upon the face of the waters (a picture of energy waiting to be released) and God SAID 'let there be light' and there was light'
We learn from this the two keys of how God works a miracle.
First, He does it by His WORD and SPIRIT. The Spirit performs the Word. God speaks His Word and the Spirit brings it to pass. He continued to work this way in the 6 Days and also in your life today.
But we can miss the 2nd key which is just as crucial -the presence of a receptive VOID, into which God speaks.
The 2 KEYS for receiving God's miraculous intervention in your life:
KEY 1 -GOD'S WORD and SPIRIT
KEY 2 - A VOID - is a vital condition for receiving a miracle.
A VOID (egg) must first be created in (the womb of) the recipient which can then be filled by the word (the seed).
What is a VOID?
It is an EMPTY place in your heart or life that God created or has allowed to develop - which He wants to fill with Himself. It is a NEED or LACK. As he works in your life VOIDS are formed so that God can fill you with more of Himself. It is essential for a miracle. It is an awareness of a need, a desire for more of God's life and power. Jesus said that those who hunger and thirst for Him shall be filled. When you know of your weakness and need for God's help and wisdom there is a void. The void causes you to call out to God with all your heart for an answer. It is a deep humility. The opposite is self-sufficiency or complacency. It's good to be needy before God and then receive and be givers to men. People can hear the Word and not receive changes because they have no void. If you are stepping out in faith, obeying God, loving all people you will quickly develop voids (consciousness of your need for God's help).
Your VOIDS are how receptive you are to a miracle.
It is an empty space in you waiting to be filled:
'Those who wait on the Lord shall renew (exchange) their strength, they shall rise up..'
Come before God presenting your VOID (lack of strength),
look to Him and He will fills your VOID with His strength.
God's Spirit hovers over your VOIDS. He wants to fill your VOIDS!
In our culture we often want to cover our voids, to look strong and not show weakness or need. Now before people it may or may not be right to expose our voids. But before God in prayer we should open up and present our need fully before Him believing Him to fill it. People feel the voids but tend to cover and try to fill the empty space with other things - by being busy, with distractions, eating, drinking, drugs, T.V etc.
But the answer is come to God in prayer and expose them fully to God.
He wants us to live in dependence on Him.
Paul said he rejoiced in tribulations and situations that revealed his weakness because they created voids that he called on God to fill. As a result more power and glory of God flowed through his life (2Cor12:9,10).
He saw weaknesses (voids) as opportunities to receive more from God.
If you are thinking: 'I'm comfortable. I'm OK. My life is going fine.I don't need more of God or to press deeper into God'
- you are giving God nothing to work with, no voids for Him to fill..
How to grow a Void!
1. Fasting (self-denial) does not affect God but it helps creates a VOID for God to fill, increases your awareness of need for God and thus opens the door for God to work.
2. Move out in FAITH. Whenever you believe God for something beyond your ability you create a VOID for God to fill with His love and power!
Once the void is there and you know only God can fill it, then:
'Deep calls to deep at the sound of your waterfalls' (Psalm 42:7).
Then God's Word penetrates that void and God's Spirit fills it (e.g. SALVATION - when you know you can't save yourself, and your need for Jesus you call out to Him to come into your heart and fill your void).
A Void (need) does not automatically cause a miracle.
You must present it before God in faith and trust (look to) Him to fill it.
In the Original Miracle:
Firstly God created a VOID.
Then He breathed His Word and Spirit into the void and filled it.
Stage 1- there was an infusion of energy (LIGHT).
2Corinthians 4:6 says something like this happened when you received Christ: 'The God Who commanded light to shine out of darkness,
has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.'
Has God spoken into your life: 'Let there be light'? Has the Word of Christ penetrated the darkness of your heart and brought forth the light of Christ?
Has your dead dark spirit be reborn and filled with the light of Christ?
Even if so, there is still more work for God to do.
Your spirit is reborn but your life, your soul is still formless and void.
Stage 2: As God (1) STRUCTURED the world and (2) FILLED it with LIFE over the next 6 Days, so He starts to speak His Word progressively in your life bringing order, preparing you to be filled with His life. He wants to fill you with His abundant life but that needs soul-restructuring of thoughts, attitudes, motives, beliefs -by the Word. The purpose of the structuring of the earth was so it could contain an abundance of life. It is now clear to scientists that the universe generally and the earth specifically was built (finely tuned) for life. Likewise the Word is sent to us, so that aligning our lives with God's will we might experience His life.
DAYS 1-3: FORMATION: He first gave the EARTH FORM. By a process of SEPARATION, He formed empty spaces that were designed for Him to FILL.
DAYS 4-6: He FILLED each of these SPACES in turn with LIFE.
DAY 1: He formed the stellar heavens.
DAY 4: He filled them with the sun, moon and stars.
DAY 2: He formed the atmosphere by separating the waters.
DAY 5: He filled the sky with birds.
DAY 3: He formed dry land, separating it from the water.
DAY 6: He filled it with man and animals.
Again and again, God operates by FORMING a VOID and then FILLING it with LIFE and ENERGY. God is also working in you, restructuring your life, forming voids that you have to call upon Him to fill.
Examples:
1. Miracles often happened to those who were at times of great need. You don't have to be at the point of disaster for a miracle but often people are stubborn and only at their extremity do they call upon God. Pride keeps them from acknowledging the VOID. They try to fill it themselves. Their extremity caused a VOID, that they knew only God could fill. Jesus is the Bread of Life.
2. The miracle of the New Birth is likened to the action of the WIND (John 3:6-8): 'You must be born again. The wind blows where it wishes, you hear the sound of it, but can't tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.'
The Wind-Spirit is invisible, you can't see where it goes. It enters a man, causing the New Birth, like air is breathed into our lungs giving life. It does it according to laws. You receive the SPIRIT-AIR by creating a VOID (an empty place of low pressure in your lungs). The Spirit is present hovering over you, ready to fill your VOID. This is how you receive the Spirit. Those who don't feel the need (being strong in themselves) find it hard to receive because there is no VOID in them. They think they are doing OK without the Spirits power. Create a Void, believe the Word and Receive the Spirit. 'Open your mouth, breath in and I will fill it.'
3. THE OIL MIRACLE (2Kings 4:2-6).
He said, 'Go, borrow vessels from everywhere- empty vessels; do not gather just a few (CREATE a BIG VOID!) .. pour the oil into all those vessels... and she poured it out ....when the vessels were full.... the oil ceased.'
To receive a miracle she had to create a VOID (empty vessels).
The size of the miracle was determined by the size of the VOID, because God filled whatever VOID she PRESENTED to Him. When there was no more VOID, there was no more miracle. Her VOID represented her capacity to receive a miracle. The Void does not create a miracle (faith -the Word and Spirit - God does that) but without a VOID there can be no miracle.
4. DIGGING FOR VICTORY!
2Kings 3:16,17 'Thus says the LORD: `Make this valley full of ditches.' For thus says the LORD: `You shall not see wind, nor shall you see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, so that you, your cattle, and your animals may drink.' The key to this victory was creating voids (ditches) that God filled.
5. NO ROOM AT THE INN
Luke 2:6,7: 'The days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.' Here we see Jesus looking for a place to be born. Through Joseph and Mary, He knocks at the door of an Inn. What a glorious privilege and opportunity afforded to that Inn-Keeper! The Son of God Himself coming into His dwelling and be born there! What was his response? 'Sorry - full up. No room'.
He missed a great miracle in his house because he had no room for Jesus. He missed the glory because he did not want to make any changes. If he had truly known and believed in the Person who was knocking on his door he would have invited Him in. He would have made room even if it meant him sleeping out in the cold. He would have made whatever changes were necessary to make a place for Jesus to be born and dwell in his house.
*Present your void (weakness, lack) to God in faith.
Ask God to fill and transform it. Invite Jesus into that void by faith