December 18, 2025
Letting God Fill In the Blanks
LYSA TERKEURST
Lee en español
“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” John 14:6 (NIV)
There’s this little painting that hangs in my home. Most people wouldn’t consider it a masterpiece. I only paid $5 for it at an estate sale, but it speaks redemption to my soul every time I look at it.
I don’t know what happened to the gal who painted it. Something about her life must have fallen apart — because one day a company opened her front door to strangers who bought the stuff her life had collected. I guess I’m too sentimental to attend estate sales, but I just couldn’t leave without rescuing something in her creative collection.
Then I had the strangest notion to go on a wild adventure to find this unknown painter. I pictured it like an epic scene in a movie where the music crescendos and I find her living in a New York high-rise.
I would knock on her door, and she would be thrilled with my announcement: “I just want you to know I love your work. I bought one of your paintings, and it speaks a message of redemption to me every day. I treasure it.”
Surely then she would get misty eyed, invite me in for coffee, and share her story. We would become wonderful, unlikely friends. And live happily ever after.
But life isn’t usually like the movies. It’s untidy and so unpredictable that our fragile hearts get broken at best, crushed at worst. And sometimes it’s easier to run away than to risk letting the shards of the fallout cut away the little bit of life still left in us.
No crescendo to the music. No epic arc to the story. No lasting friendship. Just a $5 painting that hangs in my kitchen.
And that’s all I know.
Yes, some details of life are left unknown. Some of the blanks stay blank.
Are you ever frustrated when a speaker gives you an outline with blanks but then skips some of the points? Me too. We like complete outlines. All the blanks filled in. All the gaps closed. All the details disclosed. All the questions answered to our satisfaction.
But that’s not the way life is. Some gaps are too wide to close. And there are some questions for which there are no apparent answers. I believe that’s the way God wants it. Our all-knowing God not only allows this but actually designed life to be this way.
Without blanks, there would be no room for Him to enter in and write His answers. Like how Jesus answered His disciples in John 14:6: “I am the way and the truth and the life.” He is the way when there is no way. The truth when lies long to consume our thoughts. The life on the other side of our crumbling attempts to control our stories.
Our God is not fickle, forgetful, or fragile in any way. He does not make mistakes. He purposes the gaps. He allows sacred spaces and blank places. He leaves room.
If we had all the blanks filled in, we would explain away God’s part in our story. God doesn’t want to be explained away. He wants to be invited in.
One time when “there was no guest room available,” God turned an ordinary stable into an unforgettable sanctuary (Luke 2:7, NIV). “No room” became a space through which Jesus Christ stepped through glory into the grit and grime of this sin-soaked world.
What did He come to bring? Redemption.
And what do the blanks and unanswered questions of your life provide space for? Redemption.
So why is it OK with me if I never know the details of my kitchen painting? Redemption.
Father God, I thank You that everything You do has holy purpose. Even the things that don’t make sense to me. Thank You for being the way, the truth, and the life I need. You are my Redeemer, and I trust You with every detail of my story. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
OUR FAVORITE THINGS
We don’t always get to see how God fills in the blanks — but we can trust He’s working in every unseen detail. When you give to Proverbs 31 Ministries, you make space for that redemption story to unfold in someone else’s life. Through every devotion read, podcast listened to, and study opened, women around the world are learning to invite God into the gaps of their own stories — and find that He really is the way, the truth, and the life. And right now, your gift goes twice as far. Every dollar you give before December 31 will be matched up to $87,500, helping even more women experience the redemption and hope found only in Him. Give today, and help more women experience the hope that only Jesus can bring.
ENGAGE
Find everyday encouragement when you connect with Lysa TerKeurst here on Instagram.
FOR DEEPER STUDY
James 4:8, “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you” (ESV).
Do you have any “blanks” in your life causing you pain or frustration? How can you purposefully invite God into those spaces and draw near to Him this week? Join in the conversation in the comments.
© 2025 by Lysa TerKeurst. All rights reserved.
Photo credit: ©GettyImages/Wenping-Zheng
Proverbs 31 Ministries
P.O. Box 3189
Matthews, NC 28106
www.Proverbs31.org
