Resting in God’s Strength When You Feel Empty Inside
Find hope and peace by resting in God's strength.Photo by halayalex
Life is tough; it goes through everyone, and there's seldom someone who can go at it on the first try. Through it all, you feel deep sadness or grief. Sometimes, people get to thinking there's a hollow emptiness inside of themselves.
In these times, it feels impossible to find peace or keep going.
Where do you turn? For many, the answer is found in resting in God’s strength. True comfort comes not from our own strength, but from relying on God's power.
Books for Christian encouragement and strength, like An Almighty God? Get Serious! and Trophies of Grace by Darlene Lamoureux and Karen Hanson share powerful stories of how God fills people when they are empty. These stories show us the way to hope.
To Find Refuge in Divine Power
Resting in God’s strength means stopping the struggle to fix everything yourself and admitting that you are too tired and weak.
It is letting God hold you up and trusting in Him in difficult times, even when you yourself are blind to a way forward.
...My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness...
Find hope and peace by resting in God's strength.Photo by jcomp
When we are empty, that is when God’s strength can fill us most; after all, it is only when a glass is empty that it can be filled to the brim with water.
Darlene Lamoureux learned this during a serious brain tumor.
Despite her fears and her obvious human weaknesses, she chose to trust in God: “I truly believed that all was in God’s hands… There was absolutely no doubt in my mind that God knew the situation inside and out.”
She did not rely on her own courage, but she did find peace by relying on God's power.
This is the heart of resting in God’s strength.
Finding Peace in the Lord
Sadness and grief are particularly heavy emotions: they weigh you down, and they slow your body down. You might even feel alone when you're sad or aggrieved.
But God promises a peace more profound than our problems.
Finding peace in the Lord is about letting His presence calm the storm that's raging within you. Karen Hanson’s poem in Trophies of Grace describes this healing peace from God:
The pain was real/ The scars were deep/ But He took in His arms/ The little sheep/ With love and care/ He wiped her tears
This portrays a rather accurate mental image of God’s comfort: He comes when we are hurting and offers a peace that “surpasses our human ability to understand it,” as Darlene describes it.
This peace is a gift you receive when you are resting in God’s strength.
Strength and Comfort for the Weary
God's Word is full of promises for those who seek refuge in a higher power. Therefore, consider these Bible verses about strength and comfort to help anchor and ground your soul.
- Psalm 46:1: God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
- Matthew 11:28: Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
- Philippians 4:13: I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
- Psalm 34:18: The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.
Darlene and Karen held onto these promises, with the former sharing: “My hope is built on faith in an Almighty God and on His unequaled and irreplaceable love.”
When we fill our minds with God’s words, we build our hope on something solid and unshakable.
The Path to Spiritual Rest and Renewal
How do you move from feeling empty to being filled? Well, the journey involves spiritual rest and renewal; it is a daily choice to come to God, talk to Him, and let Him heal you.
Both authors talk about this process.
To be filled is not a one-time fix, but a walk.
Karen calls herself a “trophy of grace,” showing how God slowly restores a broken life, while Darlene talks about “thoughtful worship” as her way to connect with God, saying: “Praising God’s goodness helps me recognize the blessings in my life and fills my heart with deep joy – much more valuable to me than momentary happiness.”
This is the essence of renewal for you to refocus from your pain to God's goodness and let Him change your heart.
Find hope and peace by resting in God's strength.A Choice That Changes Everything
Trusting God in difficult times is a difficult but brave choice. To trust him means to admit: “God, I don’t understand this, but I believe You are with me.”
This trust turns your struggle into a place where you can see God work.
Darlene’s friend Lori saw this as she faced a life-changing illness, often declaring, “God is so good. He knew 29 years ago where we’d be, and He has provided us with everything we need.”
This is to trust actively and choose to see God’s hand even in the pain.
When you practice resting in God’s strength, you start to understand that He is threading a story of grace even with your hardest days.
Resting in God’s Strength
If you feel empty, tired, or sad today, you actually do not have to stay that way. Our feelings are all illusory and insubstantial in the grand scheme of things, and you learn that through resting in God's strength.
The first step is to come to God just as you are and tell Him how you feel. Ask Him to carry your burden. Open the Bible and let His promises wash over you. Remember, you are not alone.
As Karen writes:
You see, she is only one/ Of the many little sheep…/ My story brings hope/ To a dying world
Your story of healing can start now by resting in God’s strength.
So, let His power fill your emptiness; His peace calm your heart; and His love make you anew.
Let the journeys of Darlene Lamoureux and Karen Hanson show you the way to a life filled with God’s strength. Find more powerful stories of hope and healing in An Almighty God? Get Serious! |Trophies of Grace.