The Empty Chair

The holidays can stir both warmth and ache. For some, the table is full—but for others, it’s the silence that speaks loudest. If you’ve ever felt excluded, unseen, or longed for a deeper connection, this devotional is for you. It’s a reminder that even when others don’t show up, Jesus does.

The Empty Chair 

(Short Story)

There was once a woman who kept an extra chair at her table. Not because anyone promised to come, but because she believed someone might.

Year after year, the chair stayed empty. She cooked meals, she sent invitations, she prayed. Sometimes she wondered if she was foolish to keep setting that place

.

One night, weary from loneliness, she asked God why He let her ache so deeply. And in the quiet, she sensed Him say:

"The chair is not empty. It is Mine. Every time you set it, you are making room for Me. And one day, whether in this life or the next, you will see that I have always been sitting there, waiting to share the meal with you."

From then on, the woman still longed for human company, but she no longer saw the chair as wasted space. It was a reminder that her longing was seen, her prayers were heard, and her table was never truly empty.

A Poem for the Uninvited

I sit at the table of memory,

where laughter once spilled like wine,

and though the chairs are empty now,

I still hear echoes—belonging was mine.

I knock on doors with kindness,

offering meals, offering time,

but the silence answers louder

than any spoken line.

Lord, You say, "Ask, believing,"

and I have asked since youth,

for a friend to hold my story,

for a sister-heart of truth.

Yet the prayers seem unanswered,

or answered in ways that sting—

the one I thought could stay with me

was carried on angel’s wings.

So I wonder, am I lacking?

Am I less than others see?

Why does the circle close so tight

with no space left for me?

But then I hear You whisper, not in crowds, but in the hush: “My daughter, I am near you— I will not leave or rush. I’ll stay until you see Me, face to face, no longer lone, and every ache of friendship lost will be healed before My throne.”

For now, your longing matters—

it is written in My hand,

and though the world may overlook you,

I will help you stand."

“The chair is not empty. It is Mine.”   —Jesus

Closing Prayer

Lord,

You see the ache behind our smiles, the longing behind our prayers. Thank You for being the One who never forgets, never excludes, never leaves. Help us feel Your presence in the silence. And when the table feels too empty, remind us: You are already seated with us.

In Jesus' Name, Amen.

This devotional written by Cindy Newby assisted by Ai 11.22.2025