Fill me up! (but not from empty cups!)
I was pondering Psalm 62 the other morning. “My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will never be shaken…Find rest in God alone; my hope comes from Him. He alone is my fortress, I will not be shaken.” Psalm 62:1-2, 5-6
Wow! These verses gave me goose bumps. Oh, how they spoke to my heart. “Oh, yes, Lord!” I thought. “You are my rock. I do find rest in You alone! I will never be shaken!”
And I immediately heard, “Uh huh. Hmmmmmmm. Do you really find rest in me ALONE??? Do you really depend upon me? On ME ALONE? Am I really your fortress, Tracy?
OUCH. If I were to be honest, then, no, I had not been seeking my rest, my hope, my needs in God, and certainly not Him ALONE.
Then, God showed me a water pitcher in my mind with 6 empty cups sitting in front of it. He showed me how He fills me- the water pitcher with clean, fresh, life-giving water each morning WHEN I seek Him in prayer and bible reading. I am filled with “streams of living water.” (John 7:37-39) My heart is full of Him, my pitcher is full. I am able then to fill up the cups in my life. The 6 cups in front of me are my husband and 5 children. But, we also fill many other cups~ volunteering, friendships, work relationships….to name a few.
Now, God showed me that there are tiny holes in the bottom of the cups and the water leaks out of them (showing me that these people can NOT depend upon me to fill THEM). But, what God had laid upon my heart was that I was trying to get my water BACK from those cups. I was looking to my husband, to my kids (maybe for you it is work or friendships or exercising…) to FILL ME BACK UP.
But, because there are holes in the cups, I will never be filled with that recycled water. When you try to fill the pitcher up with the cups, there isn’t enough water~ it has run out. Looking to these outside sources will never fill me up- I have to look to God alone for this rest, this hope, this salvation. If I don’t want to be shaken, then I need to trust in God alone.
I had been expecting Brian, my husband, to fill up my water pitcher, and honestly, he was NOT getting it full! God showed me that Brian never can. No earthly relationship can. Only God can.
Psalm 62 also says, “Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge.” (Verse 8)
Lord , may I always pour out my heart to You, drinking in the refreshment and the rest only You can offer. Help me to remember that people and things can never fill me up. Only You can do that. And, that only happens when I pour out my heart to You. In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen.
I would love for you to visit me at my personal blog, Thirsty for Him.
Many blessing to you today and may you be FILLED with streams of living water.
Be blessed dear one.
Dear sisters,
Please visit my blog and help us pray for a 17-year-old girl who is currently battling for her life.
http://www.wendyblackwell.blogspot.com
I tearfully thank you all ahead of time.
That was a perfect illustration Tracey. I read something by Ruth Graham once that really changed my whole way of thinking: ” Don’t expect your husband to be in your life what only Jesus Christ can be.” Truly – there is noone who can so completely meet our needs the way Jesus can.
“If I don’t want to be shaken, then I need to trust in God alone.”
It is so easy sometimes to put our confidence in those around us and expect them to do what only God can do. Thank you for the reminder that it’s only God who can fill the empty spaces within our lives.
It is so true, Tracy. We often look to other people to fill us up, but only He truly can.
I love you analogy of the water pitcher – a great way to remember that He is our living water – nothing else.
Thank you so much for sharing this encouragement with us…
Tracy,
I can’t even begin to tell you how much this story is my story. I looked to my husband for too many years to fill me up when all along it was the Lord I needed.
Wonderful post. Thank you.
Tracy,
I was praying today and for some reason the thought “fill me up but not from empty cups” came to mind. I didn’t remember who had written it or when, but I knew I had read it on LWG so I goggled it.
I commented when you first wrote this post but I had to again simply because I needed to read this today.
God bless
Tracey,
this is a great example. I even ask God in prayer to empty me before he fills me back up to the top to empty me. So that i’m not mixing old water with new water. I say lord empty my heart so that you may fill it entirely. Thats like me dealing with forgiveness and sin that might be in my pitcher.