When God Works Through Empty Vessels: Learning from Jesus' Example

Have you ever wondered what it truly means to be used by God? Many of us approach this question by asking, "God, what can I do for you?" But what if we're asking the wrong question entirely?

The Right Question Changes Everything

Instead of asking what we can do for God, we should be asking: "God, what are you doing, and how can I join you in obedience?" This shift in perspective changes everything about how we approach our relationship with God and our role in His kingdom.

God is always at work. This isn't just a comforting thought—it's a fundamental truth that should shape how we live. When we understand that God is constantly working, we realize that our role isn't to create work for Him, but to surrender ourselves as empty vessels through which He can work.

What Does It Mean to Be an Empty Vessel?

You cannot make yourself more talented, but you can make yourself more surrendered. This is the key to being used by God. He doesn't need our abilities as much as He needs our availability.

When we make ourselves available and surrender to His invitation, God chooses to use us as part of what He's already doing. He gives us His Spirit not because we're capable, but because He wants us to be part of His work of reconciling creation to Christ.

Jesus: The Perfect Example of Dependence on the Father

In John 5:19-20, Jesus provides us with the ultimate example of how to live in complete dependence on God. He says, "Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does."

Think about this: Jesus, who was God in human form, didn't do anything apart from the Father. If Jesus—who had all power and authority—chose to live in complete dependence on the Father, how much more should we?

The Context: Healing on the Sabbath

This conversation happened after Jesus healed a paralyzed man on the Sabbath. The religious leaders were upset not because someone was healed, but because it challenged their control and power structures. They had imposed their own legalistic rules that often weren't even from God.

The healing represented something that offended their human nature: they weren't in control. When God's work is truly being done through surrendered individuals, human nature, secular structures, and culture will often be offended.

Why Human Nature Gets Offended by God's Work

When we cultivate a love relationship with the Father and allow Him to work through us, human nature is confronted and confused. This happens because God's presence transforms us, making us more like Jesus, which challenges the status quo.

Consider these biblical examples that offended human nature:

• The thief on the cross entering paradise the same day Jesus died

• David, a shepherd boy, becoming one of history's most famous leaders

• Paul, who persecuted Christians, becoming their greatest leader

• Peter, who denied Christ three times, preaching to thousands just weeks later

Each of these examples shows God working through unlikely, surrendered vessels in ways that defied human expectations and offended human nature.

God Is Always Working—Even When You Don't See It

One of the most encouraging truths is that God is doing more behind your back than He is doing in front of you. Even when you don't feel His presence or see His work, He is constantly moving.

More is happening in your family than you realize. More is happening in your life than you realize. More is happening with that loved one who has walked away from the Lord than you realize. This changes everything about how we pray, how we hope, and how we trust.

The Foundation: A Love Relationship with God

A love relationship with God is the beginning of God working through a vessel submitted to Him. If you don't have the relationship and peace with God established, none of this will work.

Jesus lived out this very relationship with the Father. While He was God, He refused to operate independently and instead chose to live in intimate dependence on the Father. This relationship was the foundation for all the works Jesus performed.

What Are You Doing Apart from God?

Here's a challenging question we all need to ask ourselves: What in our lives are we doing apart from God, even if we think it's for God?

If Jesus, who was God, didn't say or do anything outside the Father's will—even if it would have been good or for God—what makes us think we can do anything without God's prompting?

This doesn't mean we become passive. It means we become intentionally dependent, constantly seeking God's direction and surrendering our own agendas to His.

Life Application

This week, challenge yourself to live as an empty vessel, completely surrendered to God's work. Instead of planning your own good works for God, spend time in prayer asking Him where He is already working and how you can join Him.

Start each day by surrendering your agenda to God. Before making decisions—big or small—pause and ask, "God, what are you doing here, and how do you want me to respond?" Practice making yourself available rather than trying to make yourself useful.

Ask yourself these questions:

• What areas of my life am I trying to control instead of surrendering to God?

• Where might I be doing "good things" for God without actually seeking His direction?

• How can I cultivate a deeper love relationship with God that leads to greater dependence on Him?

• What would it look like for me to be completely available to God's work this week?

Remember, God wants to use you not because of your talents or abilities, but because of your willingness to be an empty, surrendered vessel through which His Spirit can work. The question isn't whether you're capable enough—it's whether you're surrendered enough.

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