Fill My Cup

Louisa Ikena shares how a favorite song brings prayerful hope to her heart.

Music frequently touches my heart and reveals God’s presence. I was recently introduced to the song “Fill My Cup” by Andrew Ripp. I liked it from the start, and I was blown away by the bridge toward the end of the song.

Where do I even begin to express how much I needed and still need these words? This is a song that is an answer to deeply touching, heartfelt, raw prayer.

Lord, help!

Lord, I don’t see You. Can You see me?

Lord, what are You doing now?

I’ve been taught to be rigorously honest and really real with Our Lord. He knows what’s really going on with me anyway, so why try to hide? In answer to these raw prayers, I hear God respond:

I’m here.

I hear you.

I see you.

Trust Me.

Come and see.

These answers to prayer have a whole lot to do with hope, purpose, healing, meaning, vision, goodness, grace and provision. I return to the bridge of the song.

I perceive a desperate, urgent need in our world for hope. I know I sure need it. What if every house became filled up with hoping? Closer to home, what if my house, the place I dwell became filled to the brim with hope? Lord, please come. Fill our world, our communities, our families, and our hearts with Your Hope!

I perceive the strong need for purpose in our world as well. Each of us has a God-sized hole in us. We try to fill that hole with so many things, but only God will fit. As St. Augustine said, “Our heart are restless until they rest in Thee.” God alone can satisfy. Lord, please allow our plans to be in alignment with Your plan. Help us find clarity and perseverance. Fill our plans with Purpose!

And who among us doesn’t need healing from wounds? Let us take comparison of one another out of the equation. Let us know that we are not alone. Let us strive in prayer to unite our wounds with the Wounds of Our Savior. Lord, fill our wounds up with Healing!

null

Now we come to my favorite line of the whole song, “Fill my days up with meaning.” How much of my time today is filled up with meaningless activity? I think it’s safe to say for all of us—too much. For me, I find rabbit holes of meaningless activity in social media and in paralyzing indecision. I recognize every second of my day will never be totally filled with meaning, but, man, would I love to see progress in this area of my life. Fill my days up with meaning!

Related to our prayer for hope is the prayer for vision for our future. We need vision on both a microscopic and macroscopic level. Future vision is needed in my own life, and it is needed in our world. It is closely linked to my need for hope. Fill our future with Vision!

The lyrics of the bridge close with the words "goodness, grace, and provision." The song continues to link our future with all of the above. The first time I heard the lyrics, “Goodness, grace, and,” I thought he sang, “Goodness gracious!” It makes me smile to hear both versions in my mind. I want to say, “Goodness gracious, that is a lot packed into one song.” Or more accurately, I want to say, “This is a lot packed into a small portion of one song!”

Lord, You said, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7). Empty me of all that is not of You. And by all means, Lord, please reveal Your Presence and “fill my cup”!

null