Empty, But Not Really

Have you ever had one of those days when it feels like everyone is out to get you? I call them "Joseph days." You know, those days when your own siblings seem to be plotting your demise, stripping away your beautiful coat, and tossing you into a pit with no escape plan. Just me? Perhaps I’m being a bit dramatic, but I think we've all experienced our own version of Joseph's story.

Genesis 37 tells us that Joseph's brothers "took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it" (verse 24). I've always found that description fascinating. The Bible specifically notes the emptiness of the pit. It was void, barren, and desolate…except for Joseph and God.

I wonder what Joseph thought as he sat in that dark hole. Did he cry out? Did he pound against the earthen walls? Did he try to claw his way up the sides, only to slide back down to the bottom? I imagine he experienced a range of emotions: betrayal, fear, anger, confusion. After all, this was the same Joseph who had proudly shared his dreams of ruling over his family. The same Joseph who had pranced about in his special coat that symbolized his father's favoritism.

Yet in that pit, stripped of his fancy coat and family connections, Joseph was left with nothing but himself and God. No distractions. No buffer. No escape. Just Joseph and his Maker.

I've been in my own pits. Perhaps you have, too. Sometimes they're pits of our own making, dug by pride, poor choices, or misplaced priorities. Other times, they come through no fault of our own, like illness, loss, betrayal, or disappointment.

But one thing I’ve learned about pits is that they serve a purpose in God's economy. You see, God sometimes allows us to be stripped of our "coats," those things we find our identity in or hide behind. He permits us to be lowered into empty places where we have nothing to distract us from Him.

In the pit, we discover what truly matters.

In the pit, our priorities realign.

In the pit, we find that when everything else is stripped away, God remains.

And in the pit, the only direction to look is up.

That's the beautiful thing about rock bottom: there’s nowhere to go but up. When we're face to face with our limitations, our vulnerability, and our complete inability to save ourselves, we finally lift our eyes heavenward and cry out to the only One who can rescue us.

Joseph's time in the pit was just the beginning of his journey. God had grand plans for this dreamer, plans that required humility, patience, and complete dependence on Him. The pit wasn't Joseph's punishment; it was his preparation.

So, if you find yourself in an empty pit today, take heart. You're not alone down there. God is with you in that place of stripping, that place of emptiness, that place where the only way to look is up. And from that upward gaze comes the strength to endure until the day of your deliverance.

In the emptiness, God fills.

In the silence, He speaks.

In the pit, He prepares.

Look up, dear friend. You're not alone down there.