“God creates everything out of nothing. And everything which God is to use, he first reduces to nothing.”
— Søren Kierkegaard
“It is doubtful whether God can bless a man greatly until he has hurt him deeply.”
— A.W. Tozer
THE ILLUSION OF STRENGTH
We live in a culture that celebrates self-reliance. From a young age, we are taught to stand on our own, to carve out our place in the world, to build our lives with our own hands. Independence is praised, and weakness is something to be hidden.
We validate our worth by what we can accomplish, how much we can provide, and how little we need from others.
But what happens when all of that is stripped away? What happens when our strength is not enough? What happens when the things we built for security crumble beneath us?
It is here, in the emptying, that God does His greatest work. Because He does not build upon human strength. He creates from nothing.
EX NIHILO: CREATION FROM NOTHING
In the beginning, there was nothing.
No light, no form, no matter.
Just the unspoken will of God waiting to be declared. And then: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”
The Hebrew word for create is used exclusively for God's acts, signifying something only He can do, bringing something out of nothing.
Unlike human creativity, which rearranges existing materials, God’s creation is absolute and sovereign. The universe was spoken into being not because raw materials were available, but because God willed it to be so.
This is the nature of God.
He does not need resources; He is the source. And just as He created the world out of nothing, He does the same in the hearts of His people.
NEW CREATION IN CHRIST
God’s ability to create from nothing is not limited to the physical universe. It extends to the transformation of the human soul. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:17:
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
Just as God spoke light into darkness, He speaks life into dead hearts.
Salvation is not a remodel of the heart…it’s a resurrection. The old is not improved; it is removed. God does not require our goodness as raw material to work with; He creates something entirely new.
EVERYTHING WHICH GOD IS TO USE, HE FIRST REDUCES TO NOTHING
Throughout scripture, there is a clear pattern: before God uses someone for great things, He first humbles them. He strips away their self-sufficiency to move them towards complete dependence on Him.
Moses: Stripped of Power Before Leading Israel
Moses grew up in Pharaoh’s palace, trained in leadership, wealth, and military strategy. When he tried to deliver Israel in his own strength by killing an Egyptian, he failed [Exodus 2:11-15].
God then sent him into 40 years of obscurity, tending sheep in the wilderness. Only when Moses was fully emptied of self-reliance, protesting “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh?” [Exodus 3:11] did God call him to lead His people.
Key Lesson: Moses was mighty in Egypt, but God would not use him until he was humble in heart.
Gideon: From Weakness to Strength
Gideon was terrified, hiding in a winepress when God called him a “mighty man of valor” [Judges 6:12]. He protested that he was the weakest in his tribe, but God chose him to deliver Israel.
When Gideon gathered an army of 32,000 men, God intentionally reduced it to 300, making it clear that victory would come from Him alone [Judges 7:2-7].
Key Lesson: God strips away human strength to display His sufficient power.
Paul: Broken Before Becoming an Apostle
Paul was zealous, powerful, and self-righteous.
He believed he was serving God, yet he was blind, both physically and spiritually [Acts 9:3-9].
After his conversion, he later wrote:
“But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.” [Philippians 3:7]
And,
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” [2 Corinthians 12:9]
Key Lesson: Paul had to be broken of self-righteousness before becoming a true servant of Christ.
Christ’s Humiliation Before Exaltation
Jesus Himself followed this pattern:
“Though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant... He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” ([Philippians 2:6-8])
Before He was exalted, Christ first emptied Himself, walking out humility, suffering, and death.
Jesus also taught this principle:
“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” [John 12:24]
He was the grain that fell, was buried, and rose again bringing forth abundant life.
HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO US?
God Calls Us to Die to Ourselves.
Jesus said,
“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” [Luke 9:23]
Just as Moses, Gideon, Paul, and Christ Himself were humbled before being used, we too must be emptied of pride, control, and self-reliance.
God Uses the Weak, Not the Self-Sufficient
Paul writes,
“God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong… so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.” [1 Corinthians 1:27-29]
If you feel weak, broken, or inadequate, you are exactly where God wants you.
Trials Are a Means of Breaking Us for God’s Use
Paul describes this reality:
“But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us... always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.” [2 Corinthians 4:7-10]
Our suffering and struggles are often part of God’s process of emptying us, so that His power is revealed.
If God is breaking you, it may be preparation for His call on your life.
A FINAL CHARGE
Kierkegaard’s words reflect deep biblical truth:
God creates from nothing.
He empties before He fills.
He humbles before He exalts.
Maybe you feel like you have nothing left. Maybe you are watching the plans you built unravel. Maybe you are exhausted from trying to prove your worth, only to find yourself empty.
Do not despair, God does great work in the empty places.
If He is reducing you, He is preparing you.
If He is humbling you, He is strengthening you.
He is not finished. He is not abandoning you.
He is shaping you into a vessel for His glory.
Surrender.
Lay down your self-reliance. Stop striving to validate your existence and start trusting in the One who has called you. Let Him break what needs to be broken, so that He can build what needs to be built.
This is where real strength is found, not in what you hold onto, but in what you are willing to lay down.
God is not asking for your strength. He is asking for your surrender.
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