“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.  You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows.”     Psalm 23:4-5

The past couple of weeks I spent some time with my mother-in-law helping take care of some things around her home.  On the long drive there and back I listened to two sermons from Ligonier Ministries…in fact, I listened to them twice.  The second, “All Scripture is Profitable” (https://www.ligonier.org/blog/believing-god-new-teaching-series-rc-sproul-jr/) was by R. C. Sproul, Jr. which brought up the concept of whether our cup is half full or half empty.  As this is a subject close to my heart, I spent a fair amount of time on the trip considering this topic.  Like the phrase “cup half empty or half full”, the word cup in scripture has a figurative meaning that refers to one’s lot in life whether sorrowful (half empty) or joyous (half full).  Like many, if I ponder my life without God, I would have to conclude that it is half empty for I have accumulated 60 plus years of losses, trials and ordeals.  However, when I consider my life’s experiences in light of God’s involvement, I see a different outcome.  What was half empty becomes half full by God’s grace.  Let me walk through a few “for instances”.

Death – It is quite common to suffer the loss of loved ones.  Our relationships with them bless and enrich our lives and their loss (especially when sudden or “untimely”) hurts deeply.  How deeply we grieve correlates with the depth of the relationship.  However, with respect to those who have died in Christ, we will be reunited with them.  After a brief time in light of eternity, we will again enjoy sweet communion and fellowship…fellowship that has no end and basks is the light of abiding with God unhindered by sin, doubt or image control.  It is a double blessing that we enjoy those relationships both now and for enternity.

Broken Relationships – David describes the pain of betrayal and lost relationships in Psalm 55:12-14.  His solution in verses 17-18 is to bring his concerns before the Lord and allow God’s peace to sustain him.  We do well to do the same.  At a minimum, it will bring peace to our souls.  However, with God we can hope for forgiveness and restoration in this life.  Nevertheless, if that is not God’s plan, our relationships with fellow Christians will be healed in the life to come.  The sorrow they bring will only last a little while longer.

Health – I trust that most people reading this are dealing with chronic illness and all that it entails.  Because of the fall of man, sin brought with it illness, pain and death.  The decay of our bodies and their end in this life is inevitable.  Again, that is the “short run”; the pain, frustration and sorrow associated with our illnesses and demise will end shortly and we will receive new bodies free of defect.  In fact, they will be something much better than we can imagine.  Once again the need to endure is short lived in light of eternity.

Career – Many of us have lost our careers to illness. Whether they were something that we enjoyed or merely a means to support ourselves and/or our families, they do not represent the essence of who we are or what we were meant to be.  When we look from God’s perspective, we are created to glorify God and enjoy our relationship with Him.  That is what should define us.  Once more, it is a temporary setback in light of eternity.

This is an extremely generic and short list.  The full list of trials and losses is quite lengthy and unique to each individual.  While I can’t speak for others, my experience has been that God has been with me through them all and provided more than what was needed.  Further, through every difficult circumstance God: was with me, provided for me (us), and used the situation to teach, equip, restrain and/or protect me.  Each trial has had purpose and benefit in light of God’s eternal plan, therefore, for every perceived loss there is an equal or greater benefit.

As I did some research about this passage, I was lead to a commentary that shed new light for me.  God has set the table of my life before me.  Even in the midst of enemies, the table of my life is set with the things that God has ordained, lacks nothing and is surrounded by His protection.  On that table, He has set a cup and when I view it through the filter of my God and my Lord, it is a joyous cup.  It has love as a result of the blessed relationships that He has given me.  It has hope in what He is able to restore that men cannot.  It has peace that comes from His wisdom, guidance, protection and faithful direction.  And it has an identity that is not tethered to this world but rather one that says I am His child, I am His ambassador, I am His servant, I am His priest, and I am His witness.  It is a cup that is at least half full and is a joyous cup…a cup of blessing.  He has done this for you as well.

However, there is more.  Consider further, a relationship with God Almighty, our Father, and the love that He lavishes in our creation and in the planning of our lives.  There is also the sacrifice of Christ, the righteousness that He provides, the intercession that He gives, and the understanding that He has for us.  The Holy Spirit comforts us, guides us and intercedes as we bring our requests before the Father. And let’s not forget eternity.  He has prepared a place for us.  We will: be given perfected bodies, clothed in the righteousness of Christ, given a new name that only our Lord knows, receive the rewards that are the result of the work that we have done for the God, and most importantly enjoy abiding with God.   Arguably, the cup is more than half full; is it not most assuredly as David describes overflowing with blessings and joy?  As pointed out in the sermon that I listened to, the key to being able to comprehend how much our cup is overflowing is to believe God.  Not to merely believe intellectually, but to believe implicitly in a way that changes how we think and act.  The crux of the matter with respect the how we view our cup whether it is half empty, half full or overflowing is not the circumstances and experiences of our lives on their own, but rather how they are viewed in light of God and how much we believe what God has taught us.  In short, do we believe and do we trust our God.

God’s gift of salvation is offered freely to each of us.  If you have not accepted it, please consider carefully this extravagant, costly gift and receive it.  If you have, please contemplate your life in light of God believing what He has revealed to us.  It is the table that He has prepared for you surrounded by His protection.  He has set a cup before you full of love, hope and peace and so much more.  It is a cup that is overflowing.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

Will