The Value Of Nothing

Have you ever just craved nothing; no interruptions, no noise, no hassles, no relational problems, no responsibilities. There are times I can sit on the front porch, stare out across the field and enjoy, well, nothing. There are all kinds of nothings, and if life is long enough I hope to enjoy more of them.

Nothing, sometimes, even tastes good. I was walking through the market looking for Apple juice (healthy) and came upon a ben with different Hostess products (unhealthy). There on top lay the most wonderful of all treats, Twinkie’s! You might think this silly, but I grew up on twinkies, back before I turned 30 and could eat anything without gaining weight. Twinkies have nothing of virtue in them accept pure deliciousness. What more could one ask for? “Do you want the twinkies in a bage,” The ckerk asked. Are you joking, put such Heavenly delicacies in a bag where they can be crushed? Would you throw a carton of eggs in the bottom and cast can goods on top? How ridiculous! “No, thank you,” I answered. Twinkies are full of nothing, and yet they can bring such joy.

I began wondering about all the nothings in the Bible. Here are a few:

1. Nothing can stop God from blessing us, Numbers 22:11
2. Nothing can keep God from providing for our needs, Deut 8:8-10
3. Nothing can hinder God from saving, 1 Sam. 14:6
4. Nothing is impossible when God’s involved, Mart. 17:20,21
5. Nothing is impossible with God, Luke 1:27. 
6. Nothing should be expected in return, when doing good, Luke 6:35 
7. Nothing will hurt us when God sends us out. Luke 10:19
8. Nothing good dwells in my flesh, Romans 7:18
9. Nothing is lacking when we all share,  2 Cor. 8:15
10. Nothing should be done with selfish ambition and deceit. Phil 2:3
11. Nothing was brought into this world, and we will take nothing out, 1 Tim. 6:7 
12. Nothing can separate us from the love of God In Christ,

When I think about nothing the passage that comes to mind is, “What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun” (Ecc. 1:9). From man’s perspective this can seem true. We come up with what we think are new ideas, but they are old ideas repackaged. Not so with God, “Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert” (Isaiah 43:19). Jesus said he was ushering in a new Kingdom, His blood a new covenant, and with that, he would make all things new. Each morning, before the day’s nothings begin, God has provided mercies, new exciting and free. When asked, “what’s going on?” A bleiver should never say “nothing,” unless he is talking about the nothings of God. For God is always at work that we might want and do His good will, and (like John Piper says) we are most satisfied when God is most glorified. That’s nothing to sneeze at. I’m just saying...