Troublesome Topic: You Make the Space and I will fill it

Lesson 5 of 6

“YOU MAKE THE SPACE AND I WILL FILL IT”

Ray VanderLaan shares this unique and very helpful perspective. In the beginning it appears that God said something to this effect, “I will create the space, you fill it.”

By that He meant for man to administer what went on, to make sure that the space God had created was characterized by the right things. God gave man the opportunity to manage and produce good things in the space He had created. But man failed. God gave Adam’s descendants additional opportunities to do it right. Again they failed.

With the introduction of the tabernacle God was saying, “You create the space, and I will fill it.” But He was very specific about what that space should be like. They were to follow the pattern, or blue- print, God gave them. He would fill the space with His presence and His power.

In regards to the world around us He is still asking us to fill His space with good things, to administer His creation wisely. In regards to our relationship with Him He says, “You create the space according to what I have told you, and I will fill it.” We need to create the environment in which He can work. That means we need to utilize our most productive time slots to connect with Him, fight temptations vigorously, and strive to live lives that will glorify Him, then He will fill us the way only He can.

God gives us clear instructions as to what kind of space He desires. Here’s the blueprint:

~ The right size space means enough time with Him.

~ The right style, shape for that space means the right lifestyle choices. This means schedules that are not cluttered, and minds that are not full of garbage.

~ The right materials for the making of this space means the right environment for our time with God, i.e., no distractions. We need to give back to Him our best time, in a setting where we will not be distracted, or pulled away. Perhaps you’ve seen a student sitting on the couch with the TV on and trying to do homework at the same time. Have you wondered how effective that really is for mental focus? I have. But I have been told by several teens that they actually think best when they have noise in the background. Silence is troubling to them. If we indeed have a generation that cannot handle silence, we are worse off than we realized! Ps 46:10 says, “Be still and know that I am God.”

If we are not accustomed to silence, we need to work at getting used to it because coming to God in quietness is vitally important for our spiritual growth. When we come to God privately, He prefers that we do so in quietness, without background noise, having eliminated all possible distractions.

Therefore, we need to find a means by which we can enjoy time with God without the TV or radio, without video games or YouTube, without music or activity.

What prevents God from filling the space?

Sin can, but sin is not the biggest problem because He has provided a way to deal with sin. The problem that even God cannot solve is if we never build any space for God to fill. God cannot fill a space that does not exist, and He refuses to create it for us, that is our job. If you have no space for God (i.e. no time for God), He cannot fill your life.

The next lesson is Praying Through the Tabernacle

Footnotes

1

Ray Vander Laan, video series That the World May Know, Vol. 9.