Dec 29 2024

For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.

In this verse from Psalm 107, we learn about the sufficiency of Jesus. He satisfies the deepest longing of our souls and fills our hearts with gladness. This is a living reminder that all of our deepest needs are going to be found in Jesus whenever we call out to Him.

And we have so many needs! We want to be loved, appreciated, respected, honored, liked, and approved of, in addition to our basic physical needs. Yet having these needs is not wrong. We were not made to sustain ourselves—our needs are intrinsic to our humanity. Where we can stray from the path that the Lord has for us is when we attempt to meet our needs in the wrong way.

The Lord has given us a much better alternative. Instead of falling into the temptation of worldly pleasures, we should retreat with Him when the longing of our souls is great. When we feel discouraged or unloved, we can go to the Lord in prayer and tell Him exactly how we feel. Once we bare our hearts and souls to the Lord, we can recite this verse back to Him: Lord, your Word says that you satisfy the longing soul and will fill me with gladness. Ask the Lord to honor what He promised, and you can be assured that He will.

Throughout our days, we should meditate on the goodness of the Lord. Take time each day to think about the reality of the Gospel and how the Lord has saved you. When we are filling ourselves up with remembrances of His goodness to us, we will be learning what it truly means to experience His sufficiency over everything.

Dear Lord, I thank you for filling me with all that I could ever need. I thank you for being the one my soul desires, where all of my needs are met once and for all. Your goodness overwhelms me. Help me to rest in that for all the days of my life. In Jesus' name, amen.

Dec 28 2024

For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. :

In this verse from Psalm 84, we are reminded that the goodness of the Lord is better than everything else. He is so much better and greater than anything the world can offer us! One day in His courts is better than a thousand days elsewhere, and being a lowly doorkeeper to His house is better than dwelling in the rich tents of the wicked.

As Christians living in a fallen world, we are often forced to choose between what the Lord offers us and what the world entices us with. It isn't always easy to make the right decisions. We might rather have the newest phone than give extra money to the poor, or spend time watching television rather than serving the least among us—even if we know that the Lord sees our faithfulness and will honor it.

However, if we truly understood the goodness of the Lord and the riches that a relationship with Him offers us, many of these decisions would probably be a lot easier. We would happily give up a thousand days on Earth to have a single day in His courts. We wouldn't think about the pleasures of the tents of the wicked when we have the opportunity to stand as a doorkeeper at the Lord's house.

Thinking rightly of the Lord and realizing His goodness is not something that happens overnight. It comes gradually, over the course of time, and it begins with asking the Lord to help us see Him and His glory through the Bible. As we cultivate a relationship with Him, He will guide us and transform our knowledge of Him so it begins to reflect who He really is on an even greater level.

Dear Lord, thank you so much for your goodness. You are so good to me even though I don't deserve it at all. I want to have a correct view of you, and I know that begins with spending more time with you. Help me to understand your greatness, Lord, and show me your love so that I can share it with other people. In Jesus' name, amen.