Here we are at the end of 2023 getting ready to flip the calendar page to a brand new year!

For many of us, it’s a seasonal reminder of hope; a great chance for a fresh start; a new beginning; maybe some strategic resolutions. 

It gives us an opportunity to look back over the year, assess our lives, and look ahead with anticipation.

However, it’s also a season where many are grieving losses.  Broken marriages.  Prodigal children.  Lost jobs.  Bleak medical reports.  Circumstances that seem hopeless.

As this year comes to an end and we look forward to 2024, my simple prayer and encouragement for all of us comes directly from Psalm 23.

David’s “Psalm of the Good Shepherd” contains some of the most well-known verses in the Bible.  Promises of provision, protection, and care are encapsulated within six short verses that reveal God’s tender heart for His children.

But it’s three poignant words in verse 5 that I hope you’ll grab hold of and believe during this season – “…my cup overflows.” (HCSB)

Or, according to the New Living Translation, “…my cup overflows with blessings.”

That may seem like a stretch when your heart is breaking or your situation seems dismal, but our God is a God of abundance; of plenty; of more-than-enough (even when we can’t see it).

David wrote this testimonial about God having experienced first-hand the Good Shepherd’s faithful care, constant presence, and daily guidance during some very dark days and seasons in his life.

Family turmoil, the death of some of his children, betrayal of close friends and family, and tension in his marriage didn’t diminish his bold admission of this truth. 

Let’s not let it diminish ours.

My cup overflows.

I pray that powerful statement would be real for each of us in 2024 as we experience God’s constant presence in our lives.

Until next time, Grace and Glory and Happy New Year!