“The earth was without form and void, and darkness was on the face of the deep…” Genesis 1:2.
WHEN LIFE FEELS EMPTY
The word void in Hebrew is bôhû (bo’-hoo), meaning emptiness, vacuity, and an undistinguishable ruin.
Before God spoke, the earth was described as void (empty, unused, ruined, lifeless) and dark. Although it describes earth, it’s also representative of our state without God: empty, formless, dark, and lifeless.
This, beloved, is the perfect condition for God to move and to reveal Himself.
There’s a saying: “Nature abhors a vacuum,” meaning, empty spaces naturally get filled. This is true not just scientifically, but spiritually. If we don’t intentionally fill the spaces in our lives with the things of God, something else will, and more often than not, it won’t be what we truly need or desire. This means that creating space or room for God is not passive. It’s not just waiting and hoping something shifts; it requires intentional work. Getting close to God requires intentional work. Scripture clearly tells us to:
“Draw nigh to God and He will draw nigh to you. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” James 4:7-8.
This is a call to act and a call to resist. You draw close by making room. After all, can you find space for a new, bigger bed if you don’t first remove the old one and the clutter from the room?
You resist by replacing. Letting go of what no longer fits and the things that pull you away from God, to make room for what God desires to place within you.
When you let go of things that no longer serve the purpose God placed within you (to “seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness”), you must also be intentional about what fills that space. If you don’t, distractions and counterfeit comforts will creep in.
What starts as just a show, a game, a scroll on your device, can slowly take root and grow.
Then you ask, “Why can’t I hear from God? Why am I not growing? Did God leave?”
No. He didn’t leave. But did you make room for Him? What fills your space? Are you still consumed by junk? Did you cultivate the presence of God? Or the presence of the devil?
Just like soil left unattended, if you don’t plant a seed, something will grow. Weeds don’t need permission. They just need an opportunity, an opening.
SPEAK LIFE INTO THE VOID
Another crucial process of transforming the voids, or darknesses in our lives, is through spoken word.
God didn’t leave the earth void. The moment He spoke, things changed. The moment He spoke, life began.
From the very beginning of Scripture, we see that when God speaks, life begins. Purpose enters. Order is established, and light breaks through.
This underscores Proverbs 18:21: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue…”
So, the question is, are you speaking life over the voids or the darknesses in your life? Or are you speaking fear, doubt and defeat? Are you telling yourself “I can’t” when Word says, “You can”?
Are you agreeing with anxiety, instead of God’s peace?
What, or should I say, to whom are you listening? Are you listening to the voice of God, or the voice of the adversary? Do the songs/literature you listen and declare over yourself stir up hope or hopelessness? Are they echoing the Word of God, or the lies of the one who comes to steal, kill, and destroy?
The “formless” state of the earth reflects the wasteland our lives can become without God. But when we invite Him in, He makes us useful and fruitful, gives us identity, purpose, peace and direction, as we saw throughout creation.
PRAYER AND REFLECTION
So, what should our prayer be?
It should be: “Lord, make me fruitful. Transform the dark and empty spaces within me. Empty me of the things that aren’t of You. Fill me. Use me. What did You create me for?”
Genesis says that darkness covered the face of the deep, and in Scripture darkness often represents misery, death, or spiritual blindness. But God stepped into the darkness and delivered creation from it. If you allow God to fully step in, He’ll do the same for you.
This is what He does. He rescues, He restores, He redeems.
From the very beginning, God has been on a mission to save: to save us from death, darkness, and chaos, and to bring us back to Himself.
His knock on the doors of our lives, isn’t just about making things better; it’s about bringing us back to life and back to Him.
He is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. Trust Him to bring forth your purpose and put to an end to things you no longer need.
Trust Him to give you hope, joy, and a peace that surpasses all understanding.
Hasina Swan is an Engineer by profession, and a full-time woman of God and warrior on the battlefield.
