“Fill my cup Lord, I lift it up Lord”

That is the opening line for the chorus of an old gospel song. I like it for a couple of reasons. First, it reveals a belief and a faith that God can and will fill my cup, my heart, my longing, my mind. It is amazing that the Creator of the universe would actually have a desire to bless me and you. Who am I that He is mindful of me, that He loves me? Yet, I sing and pray in faith that our loving Heavenly Father will fill my cup—my emotional, spiritual, physical, mental and social cup. I can run on empty for a while, but eventually, I will need a refill of God’s presence, His “unction”, His grace and mercy. My car can get low on gas but it cannot run without gas. So, I fill it up. So it is with our souls. We must ask, seek and knock with the request that He fills our cup.

The second part of that line is equally important: “I lift it up Lord”. We typically will not seek help until we know we need it. It is easy for me to not pay attention to the spiritual, emotional, physical gauges as they move toward empty. How can I ask Father to fill my cup if I don’t know my cup is empty?

So, I spend time daily giving the Spirit of God another opportunity to speak. I seek to listen to Him as I read scripture and as I pray. I believe God speaks to us in many ways: through the Bible, prayer, circumstances, godly people around us and ultimately through His Son, our Lord Jesus. In order for that to happen, it helps if I ask Him to “fill my cup” and in the process make the effort to “lift it up”… to do what is necessary to put me in a place where He can, indeed, fill my cup.

I do not believe there is a right way or just one way to spend time with the Lord. The way I have been using for years is the old tried and true A.C.T.S. method of Time Alone With God. The “A” stands for Adoration: I spend time praising God. Sometimes I sing, sometimes I read Scripture that praises Him. The “C” stands for confession. There needs to be a time when I ask the Spirit to reveal any wrong way in me. As He does, I confess them and ask God to change my way of thinking. The “T” is thanksgiving. It has been my habit of a couple of years now to every day write down 3 things that I am thankful for. Giving thanks is a powerful “cup filling” exercise. The “S” stands for supplication or seeking. It is when I pray for others. Like I said, this is not the only way to have a quiet time with God…this is just the one I am currently using.

“Fill my cup Lord, I lift it up Lord, come and quench this thirsting of my soul. Bread of heaven feed me till I want no more, fill my cup, fill it up and make me whole.”

Praying for your cup to be filled,

Pastor Tom