In the Lacking, My Cup Overflows

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“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.“

Psalm 23:5-6

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I love living in Africa. I love the dusty ground, the precious little ones, the glorious skies, the warm sun, the color and life. But there are also challenges.

There are days where we have no water. There are days when there is no power. The dust is more persistent than the cleanest housekeeper and the mosquitos are sneakier than any attempt to avoid them.

In pondering these inconveniences, I have, ashamedly, found a griping spirit deep within. And as I dwell upon my frustrations and human weariness, my soul is convicted with a still, small voice which whispers, “am I enough for you?”

Is He enough?

Do I live as though my cup overflows?

Is His Gospel Enough for Me?

Through Him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

– Romans 5:2

In realizing how easily disturbed my spirit is by simple frustrations, my heart cannot help but burn with wondering: do I really know the preciousness of Calvary?

The gospel is so beautiful. Jesus is so beautiful.

But I think we so often miss the beauty, because we do not think on the utter ugliness of it.

How often does your heart simply pause and ponder the horror of the Cross? Do you let your mind wander to the pain and the torment…the blood gushing to the earth, staining the dusty ground?

Can you feel the crushing darkness? Do you sense the weight of all the sorrows, all the fears, all the unholiness He bore?

We cannot begin to touch the horrific nightmare of it all. We cannot begin to feel the suffocating grip of death.

But it is good to think on it.

For indeed, the day was dark, but the Lamb was the Great I AM – who He always was, always is, and always will be.

And He is good.

But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and the renewal of the Holy Spirit…

– Titus 3:4-5

Certainly, this earth comes with its trials and frustrations. Some are very trying indeed, and some catch us quite off guard. But He beckons us onward, upward.

Jesus knows that if we look within, we will fall apart. For, of ourselves, we are so fragile, vulnerable, and weak. But when we look upon His holy face, we are reminded that we tremble within holy hands. We are not alone…there is reason for rejoicing. We have a beautiful, faithful God to delight in and praise forevermore.

Ponder your heart. Ponder His heart.  

Is He enough?

What earthly trial does it take for Him to no longer be enough for me? Is any slight inconvenience worthy of my complaint when Christ has suffered deepest, most undeserved pain for my sake?

Jesus is enough.

Surely, my cup overflows.

Is His Faithfulness Enough for Me?

A cup brimful of sweetness cannot spill even one drop of bitter water, no matter how suddenly jarred.”

– Amy Carmichael

It only takes a little faith to trust a faithful God.

And so, in my human distraction of all that is good and lovely in the world, I am beckoned to question: do I have faith in His faithfulness?

For, if I have faith in His faithfulness, then what effect will these inconveniences have on my overall disposition, character, and heart? Is His faithfulness not far more wonderful, far more steadfast, far more powerful than these earthly things?

Do I dwell on His faithfulness?

I think I must have somehow – in all the mundane happenings of life – forgotten to dwell on His goodness. I must have forgotten to remember the greatness, the steadfastness, the beauty of my God. Because if I were really, truly, and consistently filling my soul with thoughts of Him…I would not be so easily jarred by these temporary things.

Am I willing to let Jesus hold my cup? Because if I hold it, my trembling, human hands will certainly spill the glorious reflections of Him which I long to hold. But am I willing – am I selfless and trusting enough – to surrender even the cup He fills to be held by His holy, steadfast hands?

Ponder your heart. Ponder His heart.

Is He enough?

How often – how sincerely – do I ponder the faithfulness of Yahweh? Do I delight in His holiness? Do I cherish His loveliness? Am I ever in awe of Him? Is my soul so focused onward, upward – am I so fixated on His unchanging heart – that the greatest of earthly disturbances cannot spill even one drop of His sweetness from my cup? Is His faithfulness enough?

Am I willing to let Jesus hold my cup?

Jesus is enough.

Surely, my cup overflows.

Is His Presence Enough for Me?

Only to sit and think of God, Oh what a joy it is! To think the thought, to breathe the Name; Earth has no higher bliss.

– A.W. Tozer

I have found that moments of inconvenience are often connected to moments of “still.” My human heart is most hastily aggravated by situations requiring of patience. Humans are not patient. Even the most patient of souls does not delight in simply waiting when there are pressing matters to be handled, lost things to be found, daily tasks to be completed.

And, yet, when the power goes out during school exams, when there is no water and dishes are left untouched, I must ponder the clear whisper, “am I enough?”

Is He enough? Is His presence enough?

Do I love Him enough to fill my heart with thoughts of Him – to delight in all that He is – when anxieties tempt my mind toward an unfocused, distraught spirit? Do I rejoice for the “Lord is at hand”?

Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand…

– Philippians 4:4-5

Oh, I have been so convicted of this.

Why is it that when I am granted a moment of quiet throughout my day, my mind rushes to human anxieties instead of delighting in an opportunity to pause and dwell upon the loveliness of God?

I want to ponder Him more. I want to live in wonder and awe and love of Him. The spirit is willing…but the flesh is so weak. May God ever convict and edify us in the practice of delighting in His presence.

Ponder your heart. Ponder His heart.

Is He enough?

Does my heart smile upon opportunities to think of the name of God? Do I cherish moments of pondering and reflection? How much of Him have I missed, simply because my heart has been focused on these fleeting, earthly things instead of dwelling on the heart of God? Is His presence enough?

Jesus is enough.

Surely, my cup overflows.

Surely, My Cup Overflows

Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to Your dwelling! Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy, and I will praise You with the lyre, O God, my God.

– Psalm 43:3-4

Life with Jesus is simply wonderful.

It is not without its human inconveniences and earthly trials. Indeed, we live in a lowland which delights in the Dust when we dwell among reflections of the Sacred. May our hearts ever ponder this reminder…may we ever be convicted onward, upward.

These fleeting days are satan’s battlefield. His delight is in distracting you and me from the holiness and beauty and goodness of God.

But we are not bound to this dying soil. We are sojourning onward and upward, citizens of a glorious homeland. And there is hope yet. There is beauty. There is good.

Because there is God.

And He is enough.

Surely, my cup overflows.