“You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” Psalm 23:5b ESV
In the last devotion we looked at how to handle the hurt that others bring into our life. When we are hurt our focus turns inward as we dwell on “what others have done to me”. The result of this is self-pity, anger, animosity and so on.
The solution that David offers in the first part of verse 5 is that our shepherd is always there to protect us, and no matter what situation we find ourselves in, “He’s got this”. This is where we need to place our trust.
Please understand, this doesn’t simply mean we have to “grin and bear it”. There actually is a blessing that comes from this. It is the healing that the Lord brings into our life. David writes, “You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows”. (Ps. 23:5b)
There are two reasons why shepherds put oil on the heads of sheep. First reason is ‘to sooth’ and the second is ‘to heal’. One of the worst enemies of sheep are flies. In fact, flies will bite sheep so much that they will start bleeding. It really is amazing how little things can cause so much irritation? What the shepherd does is he takes olive oil and mixes in a little sulfur and then puts the mixture on the head of the sheep as a kind of insect repellant.
The oil also used as an ointment. When sheep have an open wound the shepherd puts oil on it to help the healing process and take away some of the pain. This is what the Good Shepherd does for us. “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” (Ps 147:3 NKJV). Sometimes that healing comes in worship, or in prayer, or in reading God’s Word, or even from others who God sends into your life. But our Shepherd is always there to heal the brokenhearted and bind up their wounds. When our trust is in our Lord, our Shepherd, that is when we experience healing.
David also states, “my cup overflows”. In the Bible, an overflowing cup is a symbol for total satisfaction. It represents that all our needs are cared for, and we are totally blessed. It does not mean being a little blessed, but abundantly blessed. David is saying here, “My cup is filled up to the brim and spilling out.”
With this in mind, ask yourself, are you living an overflowing life? Are you living in God’s abundance? Are you living in God’s victory? What the life-giving, life-changing Gospel proclaims so loudly and clearly is that if Jesus is your Savior, you can say with absolute confidence, “My cup overflows.”
It overflows with HOPE; the hope of eternal life and heaven as our home. It overflows with LOVE; the love that our God has for us. It overflows with JOY; the joy that Christ fills us with simply by being our Shepherd and being with us. It truly is our Shepherd who brings us healing and causes our cup to overflow with hope, love and joy. When our trust is in Him this becomes a lifestyle for us.
Dear Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen.
May God be with you,
Keith Enko