“The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and yet will come up out of the Abyss and go to its destruction.” Revelation 17:8
When the things of this world are not enough, or even too much, we are left feeling empty, drained of all energy. We lose our desire, desire to achieve, desire to love, desire to put forth any effort toward anything. The emptiness is an abyss.
The abyss can become a hole so vast that it can be much too difficult for us to bridge. When it is too wide and too deep to bridge, it must be filled. How? One shovelful at a time. With what? With thoughts, words, and actions from another world; His. It is this world that created the abyss. It is this world that has left you so empty, so drained of all energy. It is His world that will fill it, if you let Him.
Where do you begin? At this point, I am not going to say fall on your knees and pray; although that is always a good answer. And besides, if you are empty, you have probably already done so. Begin with your Bible; start with a prayer. I have a simple one that I pray each time before reading in my Bible. “Through your most Holy Word, Lord, I invite you into my heart. Transform me according to your will.” Say it; mean it. Or, as I always tell my kids, own it. Then begin reading. Start with the Gospels, any one of the four. Just read one or two verses, and let that be it for the day. If something in them strikes you, or makes you feel something, jot it down. Stick in on your fridge, in your pocket, or in your car. Look at it during you day. Think about it, ponder it. Pray for wisdom about it. If it won’t let go of you, do a little research on it to better understand it. Satisfy or reconcile yourself concerning it. Do this everyday. Fill your mind with the Good News of the Gospels.
Because the overall message of the Gospels is such an uplifting one, you will see your emptiness, your void, your abyss start to fill. You will also find yourself desiring to spend more time in His Word, more time in meditative prayer. Soon you will notice your abyss filling up with things of His world. Soon your world will be transformed by His world. Desire will return; desire to be all that you can be; desire to be all that He created you to be.
“By reading in the scriptures I am so renewed that all nature seems renewed around me and with me. The sky seems to be a pure, a cooler blue, the trees a deeper green. The whole world is charged with the glory of God and I feel fire and music under my feet.” Thomas Merton
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