I remember reading Psalm 23:5 as a child and wondering why God would promise to make my cup overflow. If I poured a glass too full and spilled it, I got in trouble for being careless. I knew God meant it as a good thing, a blessing, but I didn’t understand how. 

In biblical times, wedding celebrations would last up to a week, sometimes more. When guests arrived, they received a cup that would be filled continually by servants throughout the party, even for days. If your cup continued to be filled, that revealed the host wanted you to stay longer. If your cup ran dry, it was a polite way to tell you it was time for you to go without having to embarrass you verbally in front of others.

Your cup overflows! Do you know what that means? The Almighty Lord, the Creator of the universe, the One who spoke and mountains grew and the seafloor fell, who spoke and the sun shone and the bee buzzed and the gorilla grunted. That God. The only God. The true God wants continual presence with you. Your cup overflows. He pours his mercy continually into your heart and out through your life. “God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us” (Romans 5:5). 

It’s incredible to know that Jesus’ heartfelt desire is to spend eternity with you, and he already is!