Quiet Fire Devotional | The Gift of Holy Emptiness

Herbert Berkley
Jun 13
4 min read

Is Emptiness Necessary?

“...but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.”— Philippians 2:7, ESV

The ache within is not always a wound. Sometimes it is an invitation. An emptiness not born of loss, but of longing. Not a punishment, but a preparation.

Emotional and spiritual emptiness can feel like standing in a house that’s been gutted—walls stripped, furniture gone, echoes where laughter once lived. You pray, and it feels like you're talking into hollow space. You worship, and the words are dry. You open the Word, and your soul resists. But what if this isn’t spiritual failure? What if it’s divine renovation?

I. The Pattern: Christ Emptied Himself

The Apostle Paul, inspired by the Spirit, reveals the shape of divine love in Philippians 2:7. Jesus—equal with God—emptied Himself. He didn’t cling to status or comfort. He poured Himself out to become a servant, to become vulnerable, to become our substitute. Transformation in Christ always begins with surrender—and surrender is always a form of emptiness.

This is not incidental. It is the way.

“Though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.”— 2 Corinthians 8:9, ESV

II. Stage One: Emptiness Awakens Hunger

When we feel empty, it signals that we are not full—and something in us longs for restoration. This is not always a flaw. It is often a grace. God uses emptiness to awaken spiritual hunger.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”— Matthew 5:6, ESV

When hunger is holy, it doesn’t lead us to frantic consumption. It leads us to seek God Himself, not just His gifts.

Spiritual Discipline:

Pause to name the area of emptiness—don’t ignore or fill it with noise.
Begin your day by praying: “Lord, reveal what this hunger is pointing toward.”

III. Stage Two: Hunger Must Be Directed

Not all hunger ends in satisfaction. The soul will eat what it is offered. That’s why emptiness can either be sacred... or sabotaged.

Israel hungered in the wilderness. Some longed for Egypt’s leeks and onions (Numbers 11:5), while others waited for the manna.

“He humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna... that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone…”— Deuteronomy 8:3, ESV

Let the emptiness teach you. Let it narrow your appetite. Let it reorient your cravings toward eternity.

Spiritual Discipline:

Fast from social media, food, or speech for a short time. Let the physical denial surface the spiritual hunger.
Pair it with immersion in Scripture—not to analyze, but to abide.

IV. Stage Three: Remember What God Has Done

Emptiness distorts memory. In pain, we romanticize the past or forget the faithfulness of God. The antidote is remembrance—not sentimentality, but active rehearsal of what God has done.

“Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits...”— Psalm 103:2, ESV

When you remember Jesus—His character, His cross, His nearness in past trials—your emptiness starts to stretch not into a void, but a vessel.

Spiritual Discipline:

Create a “remembrance list.” Write down 10 specific acts of God’s faithfulness in your life.
Pray through each one aloud as worship.

V. Stage Four: Let Go to Be Filled

Jesus emptied Himself to be fully available for the Father’s will. Transformation requires the same posture: we must release what cannot stay to receive what God is ready to give.

“Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which clings so closely...”— Hebrews 12:1, ESV

Sometimes, we’re not being emptied by force—we’re being invited to open our grip.

Spiritual Discipline:

Ask: “What am I afraid to lose?”
Confess it to God. Say aloud: “I release this to You. Fill me with Your will.”

VI. Stage Five: Overflow Into Others

Emptiness surrendered becomes abundance shared. We do not fill ourselves to hoard—we are filled to pour out.

“If you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness…”— Isaiah 58:10, ESV

Serving others repositions the soul. Emptiness, when directed outward in love, becomes the channel through which living water flows.

“Whoever believes in me… out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”— John 7:38, ESV

Spiritual Discipline:

Each day, pray for someone else's burden before your own.
Ask God to show you one act of compassion you can do anonymously.

Final Charge: Step Into the Emptiness

You don’t need to escape the emptiness. You need to step into it with God. Don’t fear it. Don’t rush to numb it. Let it do its work. Let it strip away your pride, your illusions of control, and your need to be constantly full of the world.

Instead of asking, “How can I get rid of this emptiness?” Ask, “What is God making room for?”

Let your emptiness become a sanctuary, not a source of shame. Let it birth hunger for Christ, not distraction. Let it lead to surrender, not panic. Let it push you to Scripture, not shallow solutions. And above all, let it remind you that Jesus emptied Himself first, so you would never walk through your own emptiness alone.