Caught drinking his tea from the saucer one day, my dad blurted out, “I can’t help it. My cup overflowed!” But the twinkle in his eye gave away his enjoyment of that little bit extra. Let’s be honest, which of us has not enjoyed an unexpected ‘overflow’—the cream dripping from the lip of the jug or the ice-cream running down the cone. Each little extra delivers joy.
In a deeper fashion, David, in this much-loved Psalm, exudes excitement as he describes the lavishness with which the Heavenly Shepherd cares for us, His sheep. David speaks of the Lord’s rich provision (Psalm 23:2), His guidance and protection along life’s convoluted journey (v. 3–4), and how even opposition doesn’t prevent God’s goodness and love reaching us (v. 5–6).
Yet, those three little words—“my cup overflows” (v. 5)—grab my heart. For it’s in the darkest valley that God promises this extravagant blessing (v. 4). God doesn’t merely give us what we need in our difficulty but He pours His compassion into our lives with such extravagance that it overflows in blessing, even in the places we expect it least. We need not fear when we leave the lush pasture and gentle brook behind, for our Great Shepherd remains with us. As the psalmist assures, God’s goodness and love “will follow me all the days of my life” (v. 6 ). An overflow that delivers joy.
By Catherine Campbell
REFLECT & PRAY
Which experience would best describe an overflow of God’s blessing in your life? How will you respond to the words of Psalm 23 today?
Heavenly Father, thank You for the abundance of love and grace You constantly pour into my life. May it overflow to others today.
SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
In Psalm 23, the psalmist David referred to God as his shepherd and by implication to himself as a sheep (v. 1). This wasn’t unusual. There are other references to this analogy between a deity and its followers in ancient Middle Eastern cultures. In ancient thought, a king was a shepherd. God as shepherd to His people is a familiar idea throughout the Bible beginning in Genesis, where Jacob called God “the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel” (49:24). In Psalm 28 , David entreated God to “be [the people’s] shepherd and carry them forever” (v. 9). And the psalmist Asaph referred to God as the “Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock” (80:1). Other Old Testament references to God as a shepherd include Ecclesiastes 12:11; Isaiah 40:11; Micah 7:14; and Zechariah 13:7. In the New Testament, Jesus spoke of Himself as “the good shepherd [who] lays down his life for the sheep” ( John 10:11).
Alyson Kieda
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