Most of the time when we use the word ‘overflowing’ we have a plumbing problem. I can’t really think of a time when it’s used in a positive way – glasses, rivers, swimming pools, bathtubs – anything overflowing can cause problems. Even in the Bible, when some translations use the word overflowing, it’s about a flood, a storm or even anger.

If we take our minds off physical objects that overflow and look at the spiritual, we can probably all agree there are ways the word is incredibly positive. The NRSVUE uses overflowing in Malachi 3:10 to describe God’s blessings if Israel would stop robbing him and bring their tithes to the priests. And even though the word doesn’t seem to be used in the New Testament, it’s famously used in Psalm 23:5 – ‘my cup overflows’. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary says the overflowing cup represents the care and provisions of God. 

When the Lord is our shepherd, our cup overflows with all of the goodness of God. His mercy, grace, love, compassion, kindness, gentleness and peace fill us up on the inside and spill all over us on the outside. When we receive his generous and even opulent blessings and they gush out of us, we can’t help but get others ‘wet’ with the abundance of Jesus’s love,  mercy and grace. Psalm 36:9 calls God the Fountain of Life, and he is indeed an overflowing fountain – and we get to splash in his life and love.

A slightly amended study that was first published on 13 January 2026, at www.gemsofgodsgrace.wordpress.com a personal blog which is not sponsored by Grace Communion International.

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