Empty Me. Fill Me. Use Me.

Three simple lines. One powerful prayer for real Lent growth.

🌿 Empty Me. Fill Me. Use Me.
A Lent Companion for Real Growth

Lent is not about proving anything to God.

It’s about positioning ourselves.

It’s about making space.

It’s about allowing God to gently rearrange what we’ve allowed to crowd Him out.

And if I could sum up Lent in one prayer, it would be this:

Empty me.
Fill me.
Use me.

Three short lines.
Three powerful movements of the heart.

Let’s walk through them together.

🕊️ 1. Empty Me

Before God fills, He often empties.

And that part is uncomfortable.

We don’t naturally ask to be emptied. We ask to be blessed, fixed, promoted, healed, answered.

But emptied?

That feels vulnerable.

Yet Scripture reminds us:

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”
— Psalm 51:10

David didn’t ask for surface improvement.
He asked for renewal.

To pray “Empty me” is to say:

Empty me of pride.
Empty me of fear.
Empty me of control.
Empty me of the need to be right.
Empty me of the idol I don’t want to admit I have.
Empty me of the thoughts that drown out Your Spirit.

Lent is the perfect season to examine what’s filling us.

What consumes your thoughts?
What drives your reactions?
What triggers your anxiety?
What are you defending?

Whatever fills us shapes us.

“Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.”
— Hebrews 12:1

Emptying is not punishment.

It’s preparation.

You cannot be filled with God while clinging tightly to everything else.

✨ 2. Fill Me

God never empties without intention.

He empties to fill.

Not with noise.
Not with busyness.
Not with religious performance.

But with Himself.

“Be filled with the Spirit.”
— Ephesians 5:18

To pray “Fill me” is to invite:

Fill me with peace where I normally panic.
Fill me with patience where I normally rush.
Fill me with love where I normally defend.
Fill me with courage where I normally hesitate.
Fill me with Your truth louder than my own thoughts.

When we are filled with the Spirit, something shifts.

Our reactions soften.
Our anxiety loosens.
Our confidence becomes steady instead of loud.

“The mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.”
— Romans 8:6

Not perfection.
Peace.

During Lent, instead of just giving something up, ask:

What am I replacing it with?

Fasting from distraction makes room for devotion.
Fasting from control makes room for trust.
Fasting from noise makes room for God’s voice.

Emptying without filling leaves a vacuum.
Emptying with filling creates transformation.

🔥 3. Use Me

This is the boldest line.

Empty me.
Fill me.
Use me.

Use me in my home.
Use me in my marriage.
Use me with my children.
Use me in my workplace.
Use me in that hard conversation.
Use me with that person I’d rather avoid.

“Here am I. Send me!”
— Isaiah 6:8

He didn’t say, “Once I feel ready.”
He didn’t say, “Once I understand everything.”
He simply said yes.

Being used by God isn’t about platform.

It’s about obedience.

Sometimes it looks like:

A quiet word of encouragement.
A withheld harsh response.
A prayer you didn’t want to pray.
A forgiveness you didn’t want to give.
A step you didn’t feel qualified to take.

When you pray “Use me,” you are surrendering outcome.

You’re saying:

God, I trust You with what happens next.

And that’s where growth explodes.

🌅 A Practical Way to Live This Prayer During Lent

Morning (Before the noise):

Whisper:

“Lord, empty me of anything that will interfere with You today.
Fill me with Your Spirit.
Use me wherever You choose.”

Then sit still for one minute.
Not to hear something dramatic.
Just to position your heart.

Midday Check:

Ask yourself:

What has filled my thoughts today?
Am I reacting from ego or from the Spirit?
Have I resisted a nudge?

Recenter with:

“Empty me again, Lord.”

Evening Reflection:

Ask:

Where did I see God use me today?
Where did I ignore Him?
What needs emptying tomorrow?

“His mercies are new every morning.”
— Lamentations 3:22–23

Growth is not about getting it perfect.
It’s about getting back up surrendered.

💭 Reflection

Which part of this prayer feels hardest for you right now — empty, fill, or use?

🙏 Prayer

Father,
Empty me of what distracts me from You.
Empty me of pride, fear, control, and idols I don’t want to admit.
Fill me with Your Spirit — with peace, courage, and truth.
Use me today in ways I may never fully see.
Make my life an offering, not a performance.
Grow me quietly and deeply this Lent.
Amen.

👣 Practical Step

Write “Empty Me. Fill Me. Use Me.” somewhere visible this week — your mirror, your phone wallpaper, your Bible margin — and pray it daily.

💌 Invite a Friend

Forward this to someone walking through Lent with you. Growth is deeper when we surrender together.