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Preaching From The White Spaces

You know what "white space" is, don’t you? It's the tiny space between the verses in our Bibles. Most of the time, there's nothing there to think about. The previous verse moves right into the following verse; nothing is missing or intentionally left out. The story flows, and the logic flows. It all fits and makes perfect sense.

But there are those times when some matters appear left unsaid in the "white space." God hasn't revealed everything. He has done so intentionally. We don't need to know everything that happens behind the scenes! We can't know everything anyway. So why bring this up? Sometimes, what lies in the white spaces is essential. 

David's heart and faith change remarkably between v4 and v5. He moves from despairing faith to rejoicing faith. He moves from crying "How long, O Lord?" in vv1-2 to singing to the Lord in v6.

God happened! God answered David's prayer of vv4-5. God lifted David’s eyes! God heard, moved, revived, restored, refreshed, and renewed His servant’s heart and faith!  It’s not written or recorded, but it’s there nonetheless! There is no doubt the invisible hand of God has lavished grace upon His child!

I think that’s precisely why it is in the white space. You can’t see God move. His Spirit moves like the wind, unseen yet undeniable. The evidence that God has been on the scene in this psalm, in answer to David's pleading and praying, is undeniable, too. 

God hears and answers the prayers of His people. God grants much-needed faith, grace, and mercy. God gives daily bread. That's the point of Psalm 13! It's right there in black and white!

White spaces fill our Bibles. 

• Doctrine should never be based on what isn’t in the white spaces. 
• White spaces can be dangerous when we read into them thoughts they do not contain. If we are not careful, we will fill the white spaces with inference, imagination, and speculation, inevitably leading to eisegesis. 
• Sometimes, the white spaces can lead us to biblically accurate conclusions. (Luke 15:11-32)
• Sometimes, the white spaces are artificial. (John 13:31-14:3)
• Should a preacher ever preach from the white spaces? He should do so only if he can prove what he believes he sees there from the clear words of the Bible. 

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The podcast is a ministry of Dr. Alan Carr and The Sermon Notebook (http://www.sermonnotebook.org)