Those of us who drive know the anxiety of wondering whether the fuel will run out before we reach the garage. I now have an all-electric car and, while most people worry about battery range, I am actually happier because I am less likely to take the risks I once did. Yes, perversely, I am not like most people — there is no need to tell me.
I never cease to be amazed by the skill of those who compile the lectionary, offering passages that prompt us to notice unexpected connections. In these ‘Thoughts for the Day’, I often refer to the daily reading, but I have not previously drawn together both readings and the suggested hymn.
Running on empty may be like the wedding at Cana (John 2:1–12) — the joy, like the wine, has quietly run out and we’re not even sure when it happened. Sometimes it’s like the psalmist (Psalm 55:1–8) — fear, pressure, or grief leave us longing to fly away from everything. Where can we go to be alone and to hide?
In both moments, Scripture shows us a God who meets us where we are. Jesus fills empty jars with new wine. The psalmist cries out, and God listens.
Charles Wesley’s hymn Author of Life Divine (StF 572) reminds us that Christ still meets us at the table of our need. He takes what is ordinary — bread, wine, our tired lives — and fills them with grace.
And perhaps that is the quiet invitation in both passages: not to hide our emptiness, but to bring it honestly before God. The servants at Cana simply filled the jars as Jesus asked, and the psalmist did not pretend to be strong; he prayed from the middle of his distress. We can do the same. We do not need perfect faith or polished words. We only need to come as we are, trusting that God can hold what we carry and make room for hope to rise again.
Emptiness is not the end of the story. It’s often the place where God begins.
A Prayer
Loving God, when we find ourselves running on empty — when joy has drained away like the wine at Cana and our hearts echo the psalmist’s cry for rest — fill us again with your quiet, steady grace. Meet us in our need, transform our weariness into strength, and renew us with the life that flows from Christ, the author of all hope and the giver of every good gift. Amen.