Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:31-32
It was a schedule crowded day and this pastor, who I personally knew, had a pre-marital counselling conference he really didn’t want to do. On top of that the couple was late. While he waited in not a very happy mood for them to show up, he sat down at the piano to pass the time away. While sitting there, he pecked out a hymn that has become an all-time great.
The song was Fill My Cup Lord. His name was Richard Blanchard. Blanchard’s method of composition was to write the words to his pieces after developing a thought or reading Scripture, and then to write the music “by ear” to fit the words rather than composing the melody on paper. His music combines the chords and harmonies of the Big Band era with the Christian message of southern gospel music.
Blanchard’s own cup was not filled with sweetness. A lung condition required two surgeries and left him with one-third of normal lung capacity. His son, Richard, was left a quadriplegic at seventeen after an accident. And after Blanchard and his wife moved to North Carolina in 2000 to be near their three grown children, they experienced their son’s death and the fatal illness of one of their daughters.
Nevertheless, during his forty-year ministry, Blanchard composed dozens of gospel hymns, wrote a musical about Francis of Assisi, produced a regular newspaper column, wrote a biography of Bishop John Branscomb, and launched a popular television ministry in the Miami area.
It all began with the annoyance of a couple late for an appointment. Sometimes God takes the time we sought to kill and by a kind of quiet miracle turns it into something that will live forever.
What is your “fill my cup prayer”?
Jesus, I come to you knowing that I cannot fill the emptiness inside me or make me whole. I am coming to you because you have already made this possible for me. So, I bring you, my empty cup Lord, since I thirst and hunger for your fullness, and the word says that I will be filled. Fill my cup, Lord.
Whenever you feel annoyed, God can use that time to do great things. Never forget that.
by John Grant
used by permission
Further Reading
Prayer for the Thirsty – by Roy Lessin
Never Thirsty – by Bethany Hayes
Living Water for the Thirsty – by Charles Spurgeon