My Cup Overflows — Even in the Valley
“The Lord is my Shepherd [to feed, to guide and to shield me],
I shall not want.
He lets me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still and quiet waters.
He refreshes and restores my soul (life);”
Psalm 23:1-2(AMP)
Heart Check
I sat down with my Bible and coffee, feeling nice and sorry for myself—ready to have my prayer time with God.
Before I even said a word, God spoke quietly to my heart:
“Check your heart.”
I immediately became aware of a subconscious feeling I had been harboring for a while. One I hadn’t wanted to admit—because until that moment, I couldn’t even identify it. But now that I saw it, I want to share it with you, in case this same poisonous thought pattern is silently raging in your life too.
I was feeling sorry for myself because of something that had happened to me. Deep down, I believed that God could have stopped it… but didn’t. And because of that, I began to subtly believe I was doing Him a favor by still showing up for prayer. As if I was being faithful, even though I felt like He wasn’t.
That—right there—is poison.
Any thought that starts with “God is not completely and perpetually good” is dangerous.
Stay away from it.
God Is Good—Always
You might not understand what happened. You might be confused, angry, or heartbroken. It may not look like God is good. It may not feel like it. But just like gravity still works whether you understand physics or not, God is good regardless of your circumstances.
Once I got all this out in the open with Him, I braced myself for a rebuke. But instead, God gave me something else: heavenly perspective.
He whispered:
“Don’t feel sorry for yourself. You are not like the world who has no hope. You are immeasurably blessed.”
“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You have anointed and refreshed my head with oil; My cup overflows.” —Psalm 23:5 (AMP)
Overflowing… Really?
I thought, “Overflowing? My cup feels bone dry. How can You consider me blessed with everything that’s happened?”
Then I turned to this verse:
“Blessed [happy, spiritually prosperous, favored by God] is the man who is steadfast under trial and perseveres when tempted; for when he has passed the test and been approved, he will receive the [victor’s] crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” —James 1:12 (AMP)
Blessed is the one who remains steadfast in trial.
Not after the trial. Not instead of the trial. But in it.
Pain Isn’t Just Pain for the Believer
When the world suffers, it’s just suffering. When they cry, it’s just tears.
But not for the believer. Not for those who have Jesus as their Shepherd.
“They who sow in tears shall reap with joyful singing. He who goes back and forth weeping, carrying his bag of seed [for planting], will indeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.” —Psalm 126:5–6 (AMP)
Pain for the world is just pain. But pain for the believer is seed.
Your tears are not wasted. They are planted.
Sow in sorrow—and you will reap in joy.
This verse doesn’t talk about someone who stops and weeps. It talks about the one who keeps walking, keeps sowing, even while weeping. That hit me hard.
Don’t stop sowing just because you’re sad.
Don’t stop walking just because it hurts.
Don’t waste your sorrow—plant it.
Provision in the Valley
God promises to turn our sorrow into joy. He does not ask you to suck it up. He doesn’t tell you to not be sad, or mourn. In fact, He encourages it. You don’t have to apologize for your tears with God. They don’t make Him uncomfortable.
Pay attention to what you weep over. Because that area in your life, according to this verse, is where you’ll find your harvest. It’s where God is working on your joy.
Psalm 23 starts with green pastures and still waters. Peace. Rest.
But then?
“Even though I walk through the [sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me… You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You have anointed and refreshed my head with oil; My cup overflows.” —Psalm 23:4–5 (AMP)
Notice where the table is: not in the pasture, but in the presence of enemies.
That tells me something:
There is provision in the valley that you cannot find in the pasture.
There is blessing in the trial that you cannot access without trouble.
God doesn’t bring the storm—but He never wastes it.
Blessed in the Middle
You are blessed after the divorce.
You are blessed after the miscarriage.
You are blessed after the betrayal, after the mistake, after the loss.
You are blessed in the middle of your pain.
“You will be blessed when you come in and you will be blessed when you go out. The Lord will cause the enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before you…” —Deuteronomy 28:6–7 (AMP)
Next time your brain—or the devil—tries to tell you that you’re losing, that God isn’t working, or that you’re forgotten, remind them:
Whether things go exactly as I prayed, or exactly as I feared, I’m coming out better, stronger, fuller, and overflowing.
Final Word
If the only seed you have to sow today is sorrow—you are still blessed.
Blessed doesn’t mean everything is right. It means that God is present. He is working. And joy is always the result.
You might walk through what the world walks through,
But you will not come out like the world comes out.
You will have beauty for ashes.
Joy for mourning.
Overflow—right here, in the valley.
You have a seat. You have a Shepherd. You have a cup.
And here, right here in the middle—it overflows.