The Empty Pew
I once heard a preacher say he didn’t know what to do.
As he looked out at the empty pew.
The church was once full of people there.
But now it had less people who seemed to care.
He did the usual, and hastened people to come.
Return to church, worship Jesus the Son
But his beckoning seemed to fall on deaf ears.
As the pews became more bare every year.
Yes, there are empty pews in the church today.
But have they ever understood what made it that way.
The milk of the word has turned sour and the food is not so fresh.
There is no sustenance, no spiritual meat, people need more, not less.
So they have left their pew to hear from God alone.
And this is the way many of them have grown.
So the empty pew gets dusty week after week.
As the people find other ways to meet their needs.
Sadly some walk away, and blame God for their thirst.
They are unfulfilled and put their desires first.
But for others it’s not due to lack of understanding.
They just need more than what the church is demanding.
So every week goes by, and the empty pew is still there
And the preacher becomes distraught and resorts to prayer.
But he doesn’t see that God did not ask him to secure
The illness of sin that only He has the cure.
The empty pew was not meant to be filled by a man,
But it was to help the preacher understand.
That church alone is not the key for man’s salvation.
It is only a stepping stone for God’s creation.
Every week as he looks out at the empty pew.
It’s a reminder of what only God can truly do.
He soon realizes the emptiness is not in the pew.
It’s in his own heart as he tries to accomplish what only God can do.
There is an empty pew in the church that needs to be filled.
Just as there are empty places in our hearts that need to be healed.
And God alone is the one who will fill both places.
As we learn to let Him fill all of our empty spaces.
© 2025 Sandra C. Johnson
This poem was adapted into a song and can be viewed on my YouTube channel here:
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