Refill, please?

[Note: A short time after I wrote this article, I had the opportunity of dining at a local restaurant with my sister and two of her grandchildren. I noticed that about mid-way through the meal, a waiter approached our table to ask if we needed anything. My 12- year-old great nephew held up his glass and politely asked, "Sir, may I have another Sprite, please?"

I was impressed, first of all with his politeness, and secondly, because of his confident expectant attitude as he held up his glass, and thirdly, because he knew precisely who to ask.... It was an example to me for the way we look to God - with respect and reverence, with expectancy and confidence, knowing He is the only one who can give us what we need and want.]





The Bible talks a lot about cups...the cup of God's wrath mostly, throughout the Old Testament and several times in John's Revelation;  and then in Jeremiah, the cup of consolation which will not be offered to the disobedient.

But in another passage I ran across different cup - in Psalm 116:

How can I repay the LORD

for all His goodness to me?

I will lift up the cup of salvation

and call on the name of the LORD.

  --Psalm 116:12-13

I can't turn away from this....it is written on my mind like an important sticky note...

Does this mean we repay the LORD for His goodness by lifting our cup and asking for more? Can that be? (That's why we usually lift our cups...for refills....)

We give thanks to Him by asking Him to give us more?

More of his bounty? More of His presence? More of His abundant goodness? More of the water of life? Of His manna from heaven?

I guess it shows our grateful hearts. And it shows our parched throats begging for His water of life.

 It shows we are needy! And desperate!

 And where else can we go? For He has the eternal, never-ending supply of everything!

I think the key to this scripture is just that: we repay God by expressing our gratefulness to Him and by asking Him to give us more!

A man dying of thirst on the desert, when rescued, is told to drink small sips at first, and then he gulps down every drop and drains the cup and holds it up for more.

And who, with water available, would deny him?

As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.

Psalm 42:1

This is my plan for today - I will drain that cup of blessing - I will drain it dry - to the dregs -- and then raise it up  again and ask for more!

I think we drain it by thanking Him. We have ears, eyes, fingers. We see His gifts, acknowledge them, and thank Him with a full-to-overflowing heart.....

What a great way to live! It's got to be the best deal in the universe -- He gives me His presence and His presents....I just say thanks and ask for more......how could anyone turn this down?

(I almost feel like I am cheating!)

Fill my cup, Lord, I lift it up Lord

Come and quench this thirsting of my soul

Bread of heaven, feed me til I want no more

Fill my cup, fill it up and make me whole.