My soul yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you. (Isa. 26:9)
It was three in the morning as I scrolled mindlessly through Facebook, waiting for my newborn to fall asleep in one arm. I rarely slept and kept a steady diet of social media and protein bars in that first month of his life. Despite fulfilling my dream of motherhood and loving my little guy to pieces, I felt spiritually empty.
In the middle of the night, I yearned for connection, but came up empty searching for it in superficial bonds with other people online. It left a hunger not even my precious baby boy could fulfill. Disconnection from God is often the root cause of such emptiness, but often we fail to identify that in the moment. God created us with an innate desire for connection with him. When that’s missing, the foundation for everything else is off-kilter. Attempts to forge connection apart from him first will leave us dissatisfied and frustrated.
It was time to identify the real longing in my soul. I soon swapped my Facebook scrolling for meditations on a Scripture-based app that better answered my soul’s yearning in the night, in the morning, and in every moment in between. When feeling empty, assess your relationship with God. Then, remember Isaiah’s words, and recognize that the internal longing in our spirits will only be fulfilled by communion with him.
Identify one thing you’re using to find fulfillment instead of God.
Ericka Andersen is a member of Waterline Church in Fishers, Indiana. She’s a wife and mom to two and enjoys writing, running, and podcasting.
© 2020 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
