The Goodness of God Fills Us
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied" (Matthew 5:6, ESV).
…know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:19, ESV).
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and all that is within me,
bless his holy name!
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits,
who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
who satisfies you with good
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's (Psalm 103:1-5, ESV).
Imagine Thanksgiving Day: turkey, roasted or fried. Mashed Yukon Golds and caramelized sweet potatoes. Homemade cranberry sauce—tart and bright with orange zest. Soft, buttery rolls. Green bean casserole and sweet pearl onions. Then comes dessert: pumpkin pie, apple pie, pecan pie. Football on television. Family stories. A nap on the couch. A day that leaves most people satisfied—full to the highest measure with good memories.
The problem with a full stomach is that it eventually empties, leaving us longing for another meal. Family and friends return to their daily lives, and routine once again dominates the schedule. Physical fulfillment is good, but temporary. The goodness of God, however, can fill us to overflowing and keep us full. No matter how much we share His goodness, we never run out. The psalmist wrote, “He satisfies you with good” (Psalm 103:5). The verb שָׂבַע (śāḇaʿ) implies being filled to full satisfaction with an abundance. Usually, the word is used in relation to having more than enough food—with plenty to share with those who do not have enough. Deuteronomy 14:29 instructs Israel to open their doors and tables to the Levites, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow so that all can be filled. Fullness, then, actually bids us to share.
Jesus modeled this fullness to overflowing, even in the midst of sorrow. When He fed the 5,000 (plus), everyone was completely satisfied, and there were twelve baskets of broken pieces left over (Matthew 14:20; Luke 9:17). The Greek word χορτάζω (chortazō), like its Hebrew counterpart, indicates complete satiety. The people, under Roman occupation, knew what it meant to be hungry. Jesus Himself was mourning the death of His cousin, John, who had been beheaded by Herod at the behest of his sister-in-law. He knew that John would be with the Father, but His human heart hurt, so He withdrew to be alone with His thoughts and to pray. But the people found Him (as they always did), and the fullness of God’s goodness gave Him compassion for them. He spent the day teaching and healing until the disciples told Him to stop and send the people away to buy food for themselves.
In the middle of the miracle, it’s easy to forget the context: Jesus, sorrowful over the loss of His cousin, continued to be filled with God’s goodness, which overflowed to the people whose stomachs and hearts were filled.
Of course, in order to be filled, we first have to recognize that we are empty. Our stomachs growl when we are hungry, reminding us to fuel our bodies. Similarly, our spirits groan when we find ourselves spiritually lacking. Jesus taught that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled (Matthew 5:6).
But being filled with God’s goodness doesn’t mean life will be easy—or even happy. All of the disciples and apostles were full of God's goodness, yet they lived lives marked by pain, prison, and persecution. Jesus—the ultimate incarnation of the goodness of God—was reviled and ultimately killed.
This world, scarred by sin and under the sway of the evil one, doesn’t exempt us from pain—even when we dwell in God's goodness. To believe otherwise is a misunderstanding of His grace. The goodness of God that fills us carries us through trials and tribulations so that we may experience His peace—even in the pain (John 16:33).
When Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus, he was imprisoned in Rome, yet he wrote about the ways God used even his suffering as a vessel for knowing the goodness and love of Jesus so that others might be filled with God's goodness (Ephesians 3). To remain confident in his faith, in spite of suffering, required understanding the breadth and length and height and depth of God’s love that filled and satisfied him.
When he wasn’t in Ephesus—or Corinth, Philippi, Colossae, and everywhere else he traveled to preach—Paul knew that the Spirit would fill those who heard his letters with God's goodness, providing them the hope they needed in the midst of conflict. He wrote:
I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of His glory He may grant you to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:14–19).
In the middle of hardship, God fills us with His goodness so that we may not only endure but grow and thrive—for His glory and our good. We can live satiated to overflowing with good things, like a Thanksgiving table. We can be satisfied with good, blessing the Lord for His holy name, and sharing His grace with all who partake (Psalm 103:5).
Resources:
The ESV Bible. English Standard Version, Crossway, 2001.
Blue Letter Bible. Sowing Circle, 2024, www.blueletterbible.org.
This prompt came from a conversation with my friend, Jenn Layte (
). I've begun asking pastors to tell me something about the goodness of God--putting them on the spot so they can't prepare a "right" answer. Look for these in the coming weeks!
I love what you did with that off-the-cuff comment! I was in the middle of struggling over a sermon for Pentecost, and that's what popped into my brain when you asked me. I really like how you "unpacked" the idea here.