There Has Got to Be More
“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death!” -Luke 15:17
Most of us do not intentionally decide to wander away from God. It happens slowly.
Life gets busy. Our attention shifts. Prayer becomes less frequent. We fill our days with work, family, responsibilities, and things we enjoy. None of those things are necessarily wrong, but over time we can look up and realize that God has moved from the center of our lives to somewhere around the edges.
In Luke 15, Jesus tells the story of a son who leaves his father’s home believing there is something better waiting for him somewhere else. Eventually, what he thought would satisfy him runs out.
That same realization can come to us in different ways. Sometimes it comes through a difficult season. Other times, everything in life seems to be going well. We can be successful, enjoy our families, reach goals, and still have a quiet thought we cannot shake:
There has got to be more.
That feeling is not always something to run from.
Sometimes emptiness is a gift of grace.
It reminds us that good things were never meant to become ultimate things. Our careers cannot carry the weight of our identity. Our accomplishments cannot give us lasting purpose. Even the people we love most cannot satisfy every longing of our souls.
Only God can do that.
The moment we recognize that something is missing may actually be the beginning of our journey home. God can use our dissatisfaction to help us see where we have wandered and remind us of what we were created for.
If you have felt distant from God lately, you do not have to figure out how to make your way back before approaching Him. Jesus welcomes wanderers. The Father has not stopped loving you, and He has not stopped calling you home.
This week, pay attention to the places where you find yourself thinking, There has got to be more. Instead of immediately trying to fill that space, bring it to God. It may be the very place He is using to draw you closer to Him.
Reflect
Where have you noticed yourself slowly drifting from God?
What are you looking to right now for the satisfaction, purpose, or security that only God can provide?
Is there an area of emptiness or dissatisfaction in your life that God may be using to get your attention?
Prayer
Father, show me where my heart has wandered from You. Help me recognize the things I have expected to satisfy needs that only You can meet. When I sense that something is missing, turn my heart toward You and remind me that my deepest purpose and hope are found in Christ. Amen.
