So Many Channels

Doug and I shared our freshman year of college with four young men from the Bahamas.  They were each a pleasure to be around, with their distinct personalities and characteristics; but it was when they were together, singing in our chapel services, that they blessed me the most.

They often sang that old hymn, Channels Only, and the chapel room would ring as their voices blended on every verse, with their lovely Bahamian accents.

This verse was my favorite:

 

Emptied that Thou shouldest fill me,

A clean vessel in Thy hand;

With no power but as Thou givest

Graciously with each command.

Channels only, blessèd Master,

But with all Thy wondrous power

Flowing through us, Thou canst use us

Every day and every hour.

 

I had no idea at that young idealistic age of 17 exactly what it meant to be "emptied" by the Lord; and that's probably just as well. 😉

However, these many years later, I can look back and see how much work the Lord has done in my arrogant, naive and self-centered heart.

It's no fun being emptied by the Lord; but I am so thankful for the work He has done.  I am especially grateful that every time He removed something from my heart, He replaced it with Himself.

Less of me = More of Him

When I am emptied of self, I become a channel, a vessel, that God can flow through.

It is a lofty goal that should be actively pursued by every child of God.

 

"Emptied that Thou shouldest fill me…"

Amen, Lord.

 

Psalm 42:1-2 "As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.
 My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God…"