One of the most popular Psalms in scripture is Psalm 23. It’s my nephew’s go-to prayer every time the family gets together to study the Word of God and he's asked to open or close the session with a prayer.
He would humbly request us to close our eyes and bow our heads, then he’d lead us in “The Lord is my Shepherd”.
It wasn’t until a year later, of him consistently leading us in this prayer, that the Holy Spirit invoked in us a strong desire to delve deeper and unlock its meaning. Because often we become so familiar with a recitation, that we miss the meaning of what we are actually saying. And when we dug deeper into the Psalm, the discovery we made blessed us tremendously.
Now we don’t only perceive it as a prayer to say with your eyes closed, to open and close study sessions. We see it as words of wisdom and power, that we can affirm over our lives at anytime, because the Bible says we can have what we say. It represents a personal presence of a God whose care and love abides in our lives, like a shepherd. So, when you confess it and declare it over your life by faith, you can expect to enjoy the fruits of your faith-filled words.
Psalm 23 is loaded with a depth and richness far beyond what I could share in this article. Therefore, the goal is not to look at the whole Psalm, but to put a special emphasis on the meaning of two, phrases, “I shall not lack” in Psalm 23:1 and “My cup runs over” in Psalm 23:5. Perhaps something will be revealed to you that you hadn’t seen before, and you will be blessed by it.
The Psalm reads:
"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness, for His name’s sake. Yes, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will 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 anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me, all the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."
Who Wrote It Matters
Some time ago, I told my mother something I had read. She was deeply worried and disturbed by the news and asked where I had got them from. Upon hearing the source, with a great sigh of relief, her demeanour completely changed! She laughed and said “You had me worried for nothing! You can’t trust anything that person says.” And just like that, it was no longer an issue and was quickly forgotten.
It makes a difference, who the author is. The credibility, or lack of, for that matter, of information, is largely and directly related to the credibility of its source. The reason why Psalm 23 is powerful and impactful, is because of the knowledge and experience of its author.
The Psalm was written by David, a shepherd who took care of his father’s sheep. This means that he was familiar with the behaviour and needs of sheep, as well as the character and responsibilities of a shepherd.
If God Is His Shepherd, Then He Must Be A Sheep
Although David was a shepherd, he is writing from the perspective of a sheep. He likens himself to a sheep under the care of the Lord as his shepherd. And he can do this because he knows, first hand, the needs of sheep, and how the shepherd addresses them. And because David likens himself to a sheep, we also assume the same character of sheep, when we pray and confess the Psalm.
Yet as people, we don’t necessarily want to think of ourselves as sheep, because sheep are generally not held in high regard when it comes to their level of intelligence.
But I believe David in his writing, was expressing what he had seen from experience, which is that sheep are quite helpless on their own. And if we are honest with ourselves, so are we helpless, without God.
Furthermore, we tend to have certain tendencies of the flesh, which are common to sheep. Tendencies which often get us into dangerous situations and we find ourselves needing a shepherd to provide, protect and rescue us, then lead us in the right direction.
“The Lord is My Shepherd, I Shall Not Want”
David said “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want”. Other Bible translations say “I shall not lack” or “I have everything I need". All of them speak to provision. That when you follow the Lord as your shepherd, there is a divine supply that is released into your life.
David was confident that God was committed to meeting his every need, because of how he himself addressed all the needs of his sheep. So, he was assured that God was always going to provide for him.
This assurance of provision also applies to you today, more so because you and I are in a better covenant of the promises of God. And God is faithful to perform His Word. Therefore you don’t ever have to wonder if you’re going to have enough. The Bible says that you'll have plenty until you are full and satisfied.
To help drive the point home, consider this scenario from my own experience:
When I need water to drink, to cook or to shower, I open the taps and water flows out. When we have water rationing and go a couple of days without water flowing from taps, my household continues to drink, cook and shower as always.
We simply get water from elsewhere and carry on as usual, because whether the taps are flowing or dry, they are not my source of water.
If for example, you get cut off from your job, be not anxious about what your children will eat, for your job is not your source. It’s only a channel through which God gets money to you. Should that channel dry up, God, your Source of provision, will use another channel. Hold your peace, the children will eat.
Whatever need you may have, know that your shepherd made a way for you long before the need ever existed. He knows everything you will ever need, so you can have the assurance that He will provide.
“You Prepare a Table Before Me, In the Presence of My Enemies; You Anoint My Head with Oil; My Cup Runs Over”
The first parts of this bold declaration by David speak to the promises of God, that regardlessof the trouble, the darkness and the enemies around you, He will still give you a table of provision and protection. He promises to provide you with power to exercise as needed, that you may be set apart to do His good works.
The last part of verse five, “My cup runs over”, which is our area of focus today, talks about an overflow. This, being a continuation from the table of provision prepared for him, shows that David as a guest of honour at the Lord’s table, experiences more than just basic hospitality. He experiences extravagant generosity, in its fullness.
David in his writing, helps us to envision and understand the overflowing abundance, the ample sufficiency, the copious supply, of God’s provision, protection and power.
Verse one, which talks about having no lack, may just mean that your cup is up to the brim.
But to have your cup running over is a much greater, much higher, and much deeper level of provision.
Let’s take the scenario I shared earlier of water rationing and finding alternative means of supply. When the taps went dry, the water I got by other means, was only enough for my household to continue living as usual. I did not lack. But when my cup runs over, I have excess water to supply my neighbour and the entire neighbourhood, also in need of water. Because when your cup runs over, there’s an overflow for somebody else.
Blessed To Be A Blessing
God blesses you with an overflow, not just for your life, to hoard and keep it for yourself. He intends for it to be poured out to others, that they too may experience His goodness. God has more than enough that He wants to channel to His people through you.
When like David, you understand that the shepherd’s supply is overflowing in your life, and that you’ll never run dry in your situation, then your giving will come from this overflow.
When the shepherd blesses you with the abundant life, abundant peace, abundant joy, abundant wealth, and abundant prosperity, give others some of it. When your cup is running over, let it spill over to others, to inspire, encourage and empower them. That's how TheWord came about - from an overflowing cup of His goodness, that I'm now pouring out to you.
God is faithful to keep His Word. May this be your source of hope, comfort and peace.
If the Lord is your shepherd, then the promises of "no lack" and "overflow" are yours. The more you follow Him and remain under His care, not only does He promise to fill your cup, but to fill it until it overflows. No more will your cup be half-empty nor half-full. Your cup runs over, that you may be a blessing to others.
"The spirit of the Lord is on me, because He has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to bind up the brokenhearted, to comfort all who mourn, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour."