Genesis 42:1 People from surrounding lands came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph because THE FAMINE WAS SEVERE THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. When Jacob heard that there was grain available in Egypt, he said to his sons, "Go down and buy some for us before we all starve to death." SO JOSEPH'S TEN OLDER BROTHERS WENT DOWN TO EGYPT TO BUY GRAIN.

Whatever the “Pharaoh of Choice”, we addicts, like the Jews in the “Exodus Story”, gravitate to addictive bondage, because of hunger … spiritual hunger. Bill’s diagnosis was: “sickness of the spirit … a sickness for which there must necessarily be a spiritual remedy.”⁴³

Losing the source of power on Apollo 13, Astronauts Lovell, Swigert and Haise informed Mission Control: “Houston, we have a problem!” Similarly, when humans lose connection with the Creator, the only Source of Spiritual Power, a life-threatening problem develops: the “Dis-ease of Emptiness”!

A fundamental law of physics states: “nature abhors a vacuum”! Operating according to this principle, a “carpet sweeper” sucks up objects in its path because it has been designed to be hungry.

With some caution, the device normally works great. However, not always! Several years ago I was sweeping a carpet, not paying attention to objects on the floor. Without discrimination the cleaner devoured a screw which quickly destroyed its inner workings. Needless to say, healthy operation required costly restoration!

The human person is like the vacuum cleaner. We were designed to be hungry … spiritually hungry ... hungry for GOD. Second, without our Creator’s wisdom, we lack dietary discrimination. Consequently, the “Dis-ease of Emptiness” will drive us to devour anything and everything that promises satisfaction. Like the aforementioned vacuum cleaner, the result is internal destruction of the human spirit.

What’s required for restoration to healthy operation? Here’s Bob’s prescription: “We are restored to sanity, provided we condition ourselves for the inflow of God’s grace which results in the expulsion of the obsession.”⁴⁴  So, he prayed: “Please, God, move into my heart. However You do it is Your business, but make Yourself real inside me and fill my awful emptiness.”

You see, we need to get God … INSIDE … to fill the vacuum!