Open Space and Be Filled

A few days ago, I read a comment on an Inklings instagram post that really stood out to me and I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about it since then.

“It made me think of Mosiah 2:9 from this week’s Come Follow Me lesson where it says: …you should hearken unto me, and open your ears that ye may hear, and your hearts that ye may understand, and your minds that the mysteries of God may be unfolded to your view. To open means to move or adjust something to leave a space. When we open our ears, hearts, and minds we are making space to receive what God has for each of us.” (camillebuck)

I guess I had never taken the time to think about the definition of the word open before.  Of course there are many definitions of the word, but this one really struck me.

There are many verses throughout the scriptures that talk about opening.  Some are invitations for us to open to God and others are requests for God to open to and for us.  Here are just a few that I found.*

 

• “And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.” (2 Kings 6:15-17)

 

• “To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.” (Acts 26:18)

 

• “For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.” (1 Peter 3:12)

 

• “And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight. And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?” (Luke 24: 31-32)

 

• “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” (Matthew 7:7-8)
  • *there are 16 scripture verses throughout the Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine & Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price that have this same phrase about knocking and it being opened

 

• “And these are the words which he spake and caused to be written, saying: My brethren, all ye that have assembled yourselves together, you that can hear my words which I shall speak unto you this day; for I have not commanded you to come up hither to trifle with the words which I shall speak, but that you should hearken unto me, and open your ears that ye may hear, and your hearts that ye may understand, and your minds that the mysteries of God may be unfolded to your view.” (Mosiah 2:9)

 

•  “O ye fair ones, how could ye have departed from the ways of the Lord! O ye fair ones, how could ye have rejected that Jesus, who stood with open arms to receive you!” (Mormon 6:17)

 

• “Behold, I say unto you, Peter, that you shall take your journey with your brother Oliver; for the time has come that it is expedient in me that you shall open your mouth to declare my gospel; therefore, fear not, but give heed unto the words and advice of your brother, which he shall give you.” (Doctrine & Covenants 30:5)

 

• “To have the privilege of receiving the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, to have the heavens opened unto them, to commune with the general assembly and church of the Firstborn, and to enjoy the communion and presence of God the Father, and Jesus the mediator of the new covenant.” (Doctrine & Covenants 107:19)

 

• “By the power of the Spirit our eyes were opened and our understandings were enlightened, so as to see and understand the things of God” … And while we mediated upon these things, the Lord touched the eyes of our understandings and they were opened, and the glory of the Lord shone round about.” (Doctrine & Covenants 76:12,19)

 

• “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” (Revelation 3:21)

 

 

I love the thought that when we open, we move or adjust something to leave a space.  That made me think about space.

 

Space

I am grateful that God has given us space in many forms.

Space to repent.

Space to escape.

Space to enter.

Space to renew.

Space to learn.

Space to grow.

 

The temple is a sacred space where God dwells.  It is the House of the Lord.  “The house of the Lord is a house of learning. There the Lord teaches in His own way. There each ordinance teaches about the Savior. There we learn how to part the veil and communicate more clearly with heaven. There we learn how to rebuke the adversary and draw upon the Lord’s priesthood power to strengthen us and those we love. How eager each of us should be to seek refuge there.” (Russell M. Nelson)

The Sabbath –  Jershon refers to it as a temple in time.  It is a sacred space in time each week that has been opened up for us to connect with God and renew covenants.

The early morning hours are a space in the day where the Spirit more easily influences and inspires us.

This mortal life is a space that has been granted unto mankind in which we might be able to repent.

When God parted the Red Sea, an opening was formed.  A space was made where the Children of Israel could walk through and escape bondage.

 

• “And now for a little space grace hath been shewed from the Lord our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in his holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage.” (Ezra 9:8)

 

• “For behold, if Adam had put forth his hand immediately, and partaken of the tree of life, he would have lived forever, according to the word of God, having no space for repentance; yea, and also the word of God would have been void, and the great plan of salvation would have been frustrated.” (Alma 42:5)

 

• “And we see that death comes upon mankind, yea, the death which has been spoken of by Amulek, which is the temporal death; nevertheless there was a space granted unto man in which he might repent; therefore this life became a probationary state; a time to prepare to meet God; a time to prepare for that endless state which has been spoken of by us, which is after the resurrection of the dead. (Alma 12:24)

 

When something is opened, and a space is created, that space will be filled.  It won’t stay empty.  “There is no empty space.  There will always be something in a given volume that has the potential to interact with something else.  Even if it’s not matter, the space itself has some energy locked into it.” (quoting my physicist husband).

If I took a book off the shelf, the space where it was a second ago isn’t actually empty.  It is now filled with air.

My mind and heart are spaces.  They are always filled with something.   

Being anxiously engaged in a good cause (D&C 58:27) and doing the Lord’s work keeps that space from being filled by Satan instead.  “An idle mind is the devil’s playground.” (wrote more about that here)

As I was thinking about this this morning, a scene from the video that depicts Joseph Smith’s life, Joseph Smith: The Prophet of the Restoration came to my mind.

Joseph and Emma had been through many incredibly difficult trials and hardships.  And in this scene, they are standing by the river, in the late evening.  Joseph tells Emma about the unfair treatment and that the governor was ordering that he and Hyrum go to Carthage.  And then then Emma asks, “Do you ever wonder if He asks too much?” Joseph is quiet for a moment and then replies, “I do not let myself.”

It made me think about how if I allow myself to, it could be easy for me to be frustrated, annoyed, saddened, disappointed, etc. by the current state of the world and our inability to go out and do the things that we want to do, and just be “normal.”  But I don’t allow myself to (or at least I don’t allow it to go on very long when I do.) 

Being anxiously engaged in a good cause (taking care of my family, strengthening my testimony, sharing my testimony, doing family history, etc.) takes up all of my time.  I don’t have time to dwell on what I can’t control.  Filling that space (my time) with a good cause keeps me from allowing Satan to fill the space in my mind and heart with despair, disappointment, deception, anger, fear, etc.   

The interesting thing is that even though we are never technically empty, when we are filled with Satan’s lies, fears, despair, pride, etc., we are empty of what really matters and what is actually fulfilling and life giving, and therefore we can feel empty because we are devoid of light and life.

 

Behold the wounds in Jesus hands,

Look to your Lord and live.

He yearns to bless you with His love

And all your sins forgive.

Oh, empty is the heart of man

When it is filled with sin.

Come, open wide your broken heart

And let your Savior in!

-Behold the Wounds in Jesus’ hands (verse 3)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Open

 

When I get out of my head and into my body to process negative emotions, I open up that space for the Lord to speak to me and inspire me.

When I pour out my soul to God (Enos 1:9), I empty out the thoughts, feelings, worries, fears, concerns, etc.  This leaves a space.  God is then able to pour His spirit into my soul (Jacob 7:8) and fill that space with joy, peace, hope, knowledge, light, life, praise, words, the love of God, the Holy Ghost, charity, songs of everlasting joy, and more.

When I leave open space during my prayers, as I am silent after talking, the Lord is able to speak to me and I am able to hear Him, through words in my mind, and through feelings in my heart.  Prayer journaling helps me a lot with this. 

 

Fill

 

FILL’ED, participle passive Made full; supplied with abundance.

Properly, to press; to crowd; to stuff. Hence, to put or pour in, till the thing will hold no more; as, to fill a basket, a bottle, a vessel.

 

I loved this definition.  When God fills us with something, it’s not just a little bit, or even just enough.  He supplies us with abundance.  He pours into our souls until we can hold no more.  It reminds me of the scripture in Malachi 3:10

“Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.”

 

 

Here are a few scripture verses that I found that mention fill.*

 

• “Verily, verily, I say unto you, I will impart unto you of my Spirit, which shall enlighten your mind, which shall fill your soul with joy; And then shall ye know, or by this shall you know, all things whatsoever you desire of me, which are pertaining unto things of righteousness, in faith believing in me that you shall receive.” (Doctrine & Covenants 11:13-14)

 

• “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost. And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.” (Romans 15:13-14) 

 

• “And the light which shineth, which giveth you light, is through him who enlighteneth your eyes, which is the same light that quickeneth your understandings; Which light proceedeth forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space— The light which is in all things, which giveth life to all things, which is the law by which all things are governed, even the power of God who sitteth upon his throne, who is in the bosom of eternity, who is in the midst of all things.” (Doctrine & Covenants 88:11-13)

 

• “And behold, I say unto you that if ye do this ye shall always rejoice, and be filled with the love of God, and always retain a remission of your sins; and ye shall grow in the knowledge of the glory of him that created you, or in the knowledge of that which is just and true.” (Mosiah 4:12)

 

• “And behold, even at this time, ye have been calling on his name, and begging for a remission of your sins. And has he suffered that ye have begged in vain? Nay; he has poured out his Spirit upon you, and has caused that your hearts should be filled with joy, and has caused that your mouths should be stopped that ye could not find utterance, so exceedingly great was your joy.” (Mosiah 4:20)

 

• “Yea, and from that time even until now, I have labored without ceasing, that I might bring souls unto repentance; that I might bring them to taste of the exceeding joy of which I did taste; that they might also be born of God, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.” (Alma 36:24)

 

• “And if your eye be single to my glory, your whole bodies shall be filled with light, and there shall be no darkness in you; and that body which is filled with light comprehendeth all things.” (Doctrine & Covenants 88:67)

 

• “But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen.” (Moroni 7:47-48)

 

• “And the Lord said unto Enoch: Go forth and do as I have commanded thee, and no man shall pierce thee. Open thy mouth, and it shall be filled, and I will give thee utterance, for all flesh is in my hands, and I will do as seemeth me good.” (Moses 6:32)

 

• “And he said unto them: He that eateth this bread eateth of my body to his soul; and he that drinketh of this wine drinketh of my blood to his soul; and his soul shall never hunger nor thirst, but shall be filled.” (3 Nephi 20:8)

 

• “And blessed are all they who do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled with the Holy Ghost.” (3 Nephi 12:6)

 

Ok, this post is getting pretty long but I still have more to write about so I’m going to stop here for now and share the rest in my next post…

 

*A simple instagram comment triggered quite the deep dive study for me. During this study I found many scripture references that I loved, but I didn’t want this post to become too overwhelming.  So I compiled the references in this pdf document.  This goes along with this post, and the next one.