Episode #82 Psalm 23:5 Let God Fill Your Cup – Breath Prayer

Hey friends, thank you so much for joining me on this journey through breath prayer. I would love to know how this has been going for you. And so if you could take a quick minute. Either right now or at the end of the episode and just leave a quick review that helps other people find the podcast. It also helps me know what is resonating with you. And so I always love reading feedback from our listeners.

And today we're continuing in Psalm 23 as we are praying and breathing through these verses. I'm especially excited about the verse that we're praying through today because it's something that I often feel is missing from my life. Reading in Psalm 23:5, it says,

"You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows." (Psalm 23:5)

And the part of the verse we're focusing on today is "my cup overflows."

And I say that this feels like it's missing from my life because I'm so much more aware of where I have need, of where I have lack, or where I have scarcity than where I have abundance.

I feel like I'm constantly pouring out or using what I have and it's not as common for me to look back and say, wow, my cup is just overflowing with the Lord's abundance.

Now, some of that has to do with what I fill my cup with, that I can fill myself with other things that aren't actually life giving. And some of that is also growing in the awareness of what God offers me.

A cup runs over when it can't possibly contain everything that it has been filled with. And as I'm sitting here and thinking about this passage and as I was preparing for this episode, there are so many places in scripture where we're reminded that God is a God of abundance.

In John 10:10. Jesus says "the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." In Ephesians 3:20, Paul describes God as the one who is able to do "immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine." Romans 8:37 that tells us that we are "more than conquerors through him who loves us."

God is not short on resources. And I want to encourage us to stay away from trying to apply this to tangible wants. We can look at the abundance that God offers or a cup that can overflow and want it to overflow with temporal, temporary things. But God tells us not to store up treasure on earth where moth and rust destroy, where thieves can break in and steal (Matthew 6:19-21).

Yes, a hundred percent God provides for our physical needs. I pray that even now if you have physical needs that God would meet those that he would provide his abundance, but I want to focus our attention to receiving the overflowing abundance of God's spirit. Of his good gifts when it comes to our spiritual life, because the temporary is not the greatest reality.

And so if your cup feels kind of empty today, this is a great time to bring that need before him. And the prayer that we're going to pray, I actually want to offer you in two different versions.

The first is to pray, my cup overflows. As we breathe in and breathe out:

Inhale: My cup,

Exhale: overflows.

And to sit in that recognition, maybe God will even bring a new revelation for you of what that looks like.

I know for me, as I pray this, I am reminded of so many things that I have in my life now that I did not have before. Even when I reflect back on the years that I spent in religious bondage, where it was heavy and oppressive and not life giving. My cup was constantly empty because I thought I had to be the one to fill it.

But as I sit and I pray this prayer, I am flooded with memories and recognition of even my current state, that my cup overflows because I've started getting to know the Good Shepherd who cares for me. My cup overflows because God is the one who fills it.

Another version of this prayer that may be a good fit for you today is to ask God to let your cup overflow. Maybe you're coming with an awareness of your need and your cup feels empty. So it's not, sitting in a reality of it already being full to overflowing, but you're sitting in the reality of recognizing your need and asking God to fill it. And so maybe that prayer for you is my cup, Lord, make it overflow. As you breathe in and out:

Inhale: My cup,

Exhale: Lord, make it overflow.

Maybe it's both, but whatever you do, I encourage you take a few minutes and talk with God. Engage in this breath prayer, bringing yourself with an awareness of your cup before the Lord and talk with the one who makes our cups overflow.

Have a good talk.

And if you've been encouraged by this content, please share it with a friend and help them grow in their conversational relationship with God too!

Connect with Jen on Instagram