Followed By Mercy
The Followed By Mercy Podcast
Real Grace, Honest Hope
You might notice a new name and a fresh look, but the heart behind this podcast is the same. After years as the World Evangelism Podcast, I sensed God leading me to a deeper, more personal path centered on His relentless mercy and the kind of honest hope that can reach into every hurting place. That’s why this show is now called Followed By Mercy Podcast. The format may shift, and the tone may be a bit more personal, but my mission hasn’t changed: I still believe the world desperately needs to hear the good news of God’s love in Jesus Christ. You are welcome here if you’ve been with me from the beginning or just found us now.
What if God’s love is more personal, stubborn, and relentless than you ever imagined?
Welcome to The Followed By Mercy Podcast, where we get honest about pain, hope, and the kind of grace that finds you right where you are, five days a week. This isn’t about religious performance or church routines. It’s for anyone who’s ever felt worn out, unseen, or unsure if they belong in the story of God’s love. Every conversation is rooted in this reality: God loves you right now, just as you are, and He isn’t giving up on you.
Here’s what you’ll find in every episode:
Experience God’s Relentless Love
Every show starts by reminding you that the Shepherd knows your name, cares about your story, and isn’t offended by your failures or questions. This is personal—it’s about God’s unwavering affection for you.
Find Your Place in His Heart
Once you grasp how fiercely you’re loved, sharing that love with others doesn’t feel forced. It becomes the most natural thing in the world. Real grace overflows.
Prayer That Changes You
We pray together—not just for the world “out there,” but for the battles and hopes you’re carrying right now. These prayers are honest, rooted in Scripture, and meant for hearts that need a gentle touch from the Shepherd.
Discover Your Unique Role
Whether you’re called to go, give, serve, or show kindness in your corner of the world, God’s mercy meets you where you are. You’re not just a bystander. You are His beloved, invited into the story He’s writing.
When life knocks the wind out of you, this is a place to catch your breath. You’ll hear the encouragement that meets you on your hardest days, and your honest questions will be welcomed. No pretending, no heavy-handed advice—just the reminder that your Shepherd is right there with you, walking every step with you, even when you feel like giving up.
Why does this matter? Because some days, it feels like nobody sees you or cares what you’re going through. But the truth is, you have a Shepherd who never takes His eyes off you, lets you slip through the cracks, and never gives up on you. That kind of love can put you back on your feet, and it might be the hope someone else is waiting to see in you, too.
If you’re longing for more than just religious talk—if you want to know you’re not alone and that God’s mercy is following you all the way home, you’re in the right place. Whether you listen in the car, on a walk, or in a quiet moment, let every episode remind you: God’s mercy is after you right now, ready to bring real grace and honest hope.
Subscribe today and join a community to discover what happens when loved people become loving people. The journey’s just beginning, and there’s a place for you here.
Followed By Mercy
Overflowing Grace, My cup runneth over
Psalm 23 is poetry for people in dark places. In this episode, we step into David’s words, “my cup runs over,” and discover what it means to find God’s abundance right in the middle of pain, betrayal, and loss. David didn’t write from a palace. He wrote from a cave, surrounded by threats and uncertainty. Yet he still saw God’s goodness overflowing in his life.
What does it mean for your cup to overflow when everything around you feels empty? We’ll talk about how God’s presence changes our experience of trouble, even when our circumstances don’t change. This isn’t about pretending everything is fine. It’s about learning to receive God’s care—not because we’ve earned it, but because He loves us and comes looking for us when we’re lost.
If you’re weary, hurting, or just wondering where God is right now, you’re not alone. Sit with me for a few minutes and find hope that your cup, no matter how battered, can overflow with God’s mercy, right here in the middle of your mess. You’ll hear stories, honest questions, and a reminder that you are deeply loved, right now, as you are.
Listen in, and let’s discover the freedom of being found by the Shepherd whose goodness and mercy are following you, even in the valley.
I write daily devotionals and podcast five days a week. Links to my writing can be found in the show notes. I’m just sharing what I’ve learned about God because He loves you and cares for you.
https://followedbymercy.beehiiv.com/
https://waustingardner.substack.com
Thanks for listening. Find us on YouTube, Substack, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.
I'm excited to talk to you. You know I'm working my way through Psalm 23. I love it. It is, beyond a doubt, one of the most impactful passages of Scripture I've ever worked with and I am so excited that I get the chance to go over this with you.
Austin Gardner:You know we've started with David in a pit, david in a cave, david hiding, david destroyed, and we have gone from. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want, and God taking care of all the food and all the water and encouraging him when he's discouraged and guiding him where he doesn't know how to be led, because he needs to be led and pass a righteousness. And even though he's at risk of losing his life, he will fear no evil, for the Lord is with him. And we've talked a little bit about the rod and staff as they comfort him. And you know we've made it real clear and I hope you understand this the shepherd is not in the habit of harming the sheep. That's never, never the goal of the shepherd. The shepherd loves the sheep and takes care of the sheep. And then we went over there. I'll prepare us a table before me in the presence of my enemies. How, god, right, in front of everybody who hates you, the devil and all the demons of hell. We're not talking about your people. See, we don't fight against people. I know your wife might've hurt you or your husband might've hurt you or somebody else might've hurt you, or your husband might have hurt you or somebody else might have hurt you, but the truth is we don't fight against people, we fight. Our enemies are not flesh and blood, but demons and powers and all of that stuff. And so he prepares. And that's a devil. See how, no matter what you throw at one of his sheep, god always takes care of them. Then he anointed our head with oil. That's got to be one of my all-time favorites. He lifted your head. He lifted your head so you could look him eye to eye. He lifted your head so you could see him and know he loves you and know that everything is right between the two of you.
Austin Gardner:And so, in the middle of all this going wrong, in the middle of his life literally, just literally falling apart, david says do you catch this? David says my cup runs over. God, you're pouring out blessings on me even in the middle of the battle, probably the darkest night of David's life. And David can say, of David's life. And David can say God, you are so good to me, god, you're annoying me, you're abundantly working in my life, you are kindly taking care of me. I mean, I am just overflowing with your goodness.
Austin Gardner:In the middle of the trial, david's not leaning on his strength or his soldiers, but he says the shepherd, my savior, now your cup. That symbolizes your wealth, that's your bank account, that's your spiritual bank account, your emotional bank account, even your financial bank account. And David says God, you've been so good to me, you've taken care of me in ways I would have never imagined. And when I walked in this room, I was suffering from the cold and it was lonely. But you met my need, lord, just like always. You brought it back, you made me remember. You're showing me again how much you love me. You've shown me how you have refreshed my soul, how you have refreshed my soul and how you've led me when I needed to be led. And you're showing me so good and kind to me. God, you're so good.
Austin Gardner:He could never have imagined that God would be that good. He's rested, he's refreshed, he's found provision, he's enjoying peace. And that doesn't change the fact that the battle is still raging. There's still problems. And that doesn't change the fact that the battle is still raging. There's still problems, things are still going wrong. You're not free from the war, but you're free in the war, and the shepherd's provision is spilling out and touching everything around David.
Austin Gardner:David's not just surviving. David is thriving and the blessings exceed his capacity to contain them. Exceed his capacity to contain them, cause he does capacity to have them. Enemies are everywhere, families attacking him, friends have betrayed him, turmoil and noise are threatening him. His past mistakes and the consequences of his sin scream in his heart, but still he finds my cup runs over, it's overflowing with peace and joy and assurance. God's with me and God is meeting every need.
Austin Gardner:Remember that Jesus came not to hurt you but to give you life and life more abundant. Your life is too full to the brim with all the presence and the blessings overflowing. So open your eyes and be grateful and look around. You see, our relationship with God is not based on rules, but a relationship. It's not a rule-bound thing, not a rule-based thing, not a performance. You see, you can do nothing to make God love you more. You can do nothing to make God love you less, because God is love, and so he's enjoying it. By the way, might I remind you that the sheep-shepherd relationship started by the shepherd, not by the sheep. God's one does the saving, god's one that comes looking for you. You can't wake up one day and say I found the Lord. Well, the Lord found you. He made you, he's been looking for you, he's your creator. Do you realize that you are complete in Christ?
Austin Gardner:Colossians 2 and verse 10, we have everything we need. Our union with Christ, our Savior, our Shepherd, makes us whole. We lack nothing, and it's not based on our works. We are new creations. All things are made new. The past is gone. God has given complete forgiveness and victory. We have all we need spiritually. God can do more than we could ever ask or think.
Austin Gardner:Ephesians, chapter 3 and verse 20. God meets our needs and exceeds them. He provides more than we could have ever imagined. An overflowing cup comes in many forms Peace and turmoil. We're in the middle of trouble. I'm not denying there's trouble. You can't live in denial. You got to admit we do have problems and we're still facing it. But God's taking care of us. God is a lot more than you can imagine. He's giving you provision, just like he did when you know it's a funny thing when he fed the 5,000, there was more left over than there was when they started. God is good to us.
Austin Gardner:Ephesians, chapter 1,. He is blessing us with all spiritual blessings and that's all going to overflow out of us into the world. Did you know? You're a vessel of blessings, god's blessings. You're to pass on the grace, pass on the peace, pass on the joy, pass on the forgiveness. It's not something you will get in heaven or something that you're waiting for Right now. It's yours.
Austin Gardner:In Jesus, you have all you need to do, every good work. And remember this we don't hoard anything that God gives us. Whatever God gives us, we're going to take that and we're going to use it for his honor and glory. We're going to keep using it. We don't need to hang on to it, because there'll be more tomorrow. See, he'll give us a manna for today, to give us manna for tomorrow.
Austin Gardner:Give us his day, our daily bread, and even though death is threatening, heaven's got a banquet for you. He's anointing your head with oil. He's overflowing your cup with goodness. He is good. We're in adversity. There's a lot of problems, a lot of things going wrong. No one can deny that. But he's going to take care of you. The problems are still there, the shadow of death still lingers, but the shepherd transforms the night into day. We live from the overflow. We trust in the shepherd's extravagant care. We still got trouble, we still got difficulties, we still make mistakes, but he's working in our lives. He makes us lie down in green pastures, he takes us through the dark valleys and overflows our cup.
Austin Gardner:Ask the Lord to help you open your eyes and help you see all he's doing. Hey, you need to meditate on this today. I don't know what's going on with you. I'm not sure what's been happening in your life. I'm not sure how much you're hurting. I'm not sure how much you're thinking to yourself. I don't know where God is, but I want you to know he's there and he never leaves and he never stops, and I want you to know he cares about you. Now you look me and my God-given eyeball.
Austin Gardner:As one preacher used to say, god loves you Right now, right where you are. He is not waiting for you to get things right, because he makes things right. He's not writing for you to be holy, waiting for you to be holy, he makes holy. He's not waiting for you. He's not writing for you to be holy, waiting for you to be holy. He makes holy. He's not waiting for you. He's the one who comes to us so you can live all day long today thinking about this. God's taking care of me. God's taking care of me. God's watching over me. Not only is he meeting my needs, but my cup is overflowing with all of his goodness. Now I love you, but I want you to know you are followed by mercy, and I know you think no, I got problems. Right now. You are followed by mercy, even in the middle of your problems. He loves you and he cares about you. He's at work in your life. Don't you doubt it. Don't you look away. You trust God. You keep trusting God and you just wait and watch. Surely, goodness and mercy do follow us all the days of our lives.
Austin Gardner:I thank you for listening to Followed by Mercy. I hope, if you're able, that you follow some of my writing. If you look in the notes, you'll be able to find the two places I write. I write every day and I podcast every day, five days a week. I'm just trying to get a message out. You know, I ask the Lord what's he want me to do with the rest of my life and I think he wants me to know him and to let you know what I learned about him, because he loves you and he cares, and I'm so glad I get to talk about him. Love you, love Jesus. Thank God for all he's doing. What a wonderful Savior.
