By: Hanny Lynn
Stearns
Fish N Loaves Ministries, Inc.
“Multiplying God’s Word Around the
Globe”
September 29, 2016
He Fills Our Soul with Good Things
Psalm 107:9
For He satisfies the longing soul,
and fills the hungry soul with goodness.
What does a longing soul do when it is “longing” for something? They
look for something to fill them in some way or another. Usually this happens by
running to the first thing that sounds good to the flesh. What does it really mean,
“a longing soul?” A person consists of a spirit, a soul, and a body. We are a
spirit, we have a soul and we live in a body. Like a hand fits in a glove, so
our spirit lives in our body. There is also another part of a person - our
soul. This is the part of a person where the mind, will and emotions are.
The spirit of a born again believer is a regenerated spirit after the
new birth. But the soul of a man is the part that needs to be changed. Our
flesh does not get born again. We might say that the “flesh” is the same thing
as the “soul” part of a person. When people get hurt in their spirit and soul,
like abused children for example, they carry those wounds right into adulthood.
They hurt on the inside. I know about that and would imagine that most of you
who are reading this do as well.
The pain causes us to long for something to comfort ourselves. We all
need love and comfort. It is how the Lord made us. He experiences emotions and feelings
just like us. He made us like Him after all. What we need the most is God’s
love. He alone can love us in ways no human ever could because of the fallen
sinful nature. Even a born again Christian’s love toward us could never replace
the love of God in our spirit and soul.
Until I came clean from drugs, alcohol, food addiction and other various
sinful ways of living, I did not even begin to realize how much my soul was
longing. I was longing for love. I guess I always knew that to some degree. But
I really didn’t understand how wounded I was from all the negative experiences
I had as I grew up - even into adulthood. Oh but God! Thank You Jesus that
there came a time when I would surrender to the only One who could satisfy my
longing soul.
I spent way too much time as a food and sugar addict trying to fill myself
with this food or that food hoping to feel better. But it never worked. It not
only left me feeling sick to my stomach, but it left my mind in a state of
consistent turmoil. Just this week I have had some major revelation about all
the time I wasted cooking food, thinking about food, worrying about it - like I
said in yesterday’s devotion. I really did not realize how much Jesus had
waited for me to just lay it all down and go to Him. He wanted to fill me up.
He showed me so many verses to try to pull me into His loving and sweet arms.
Verses like this…
John 6:27
Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life,
which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on
Him.”
I can’t even count how many times He pointed me to this verse as He
tried to get me to let go of food and thoughts of food so He could feed me that
special bread that only He can give. Lately, as He has brought me further along
in my walk into freedom and away from the world of addiction, I have had a new
sense of peace and fulfillment as I have learned to trust Him with this eating
stuff and just enjoy my day and my life with Him.
It has been wondrously freeing and fulfilling to spend time with Him
each day. While I have to plan what I am going to eat daily so I can stay on
track with my food plan, I no longer sit around thinking about the food. I am
consumed with His word and His presence and it is the joy and delight of my
heart.
Here is another verse that the Lord has shown me countless times…
Psalm 73:25-26
Whom have I
in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my
heart fail; but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
All that wasted time I spent searching, and what
was I getting out of it? Not a thing! When I learned to really desire Him more,
the food just started slipping out of sight. Yes, I have to eat my meals each
day, but now I really do not focus on it. Now I go to Him to get filled. Jesus
is our portion! When we go to Him for fulfillment and refreshing, we will get a
healthy portion of love, comfort, healing and so much more. In fact, I do not
know how to describe the goodness that I am feeling these days. It is something
that each person must experience for themselves personally.
He really does do amazing things that we cannot
see or even begin to understand. But He does it. He takes what is hurting so
deeply inside us and removes the pain – ever so gently. Finally, the sting is
gone and the heart feels light. It seems as though the hundreds of pounds of
spiritual baggage we have been carrying has been lifted. Jesus can fill our
soul – not just pour a little in. He fills it – so much so that it overflows. I
like that part – overflow. He is a “too much Jesus!”
Let’s close with looking at how Mary was
rejoicing after she became pregnant with the Lord Jesus…
Luke 1:46-55
The Song of Mary
46 And Mary said:
“My soul magnifies the
Lord,
47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
48 For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant;
For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.
49 For He who is mighty has done great things for me,
And holy is His name.
50 And His mercy is on those who fear Him
From generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength with His arm;
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
52 He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
And exalted the lowly.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things,
And the rich He has sent away empty.
54 He has helped His servant Israel,
In remembrance of His mercy, 55 As He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed forever.”
47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
48 For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant;
For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.
49 For He who is mighty has done great things for me,
And holy is His name.
50 And His mercy is on those who fear Him
From generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength with His arm;
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
52 He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
And exalted the lowly.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things,
And the rich He has sent away empty.
54 He has helped His servant Israel,
In remembrance of His mercy, 55 As He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed forever.”
Those who were hungry and went to Jesus never ever went away the same
way they came. Will we believe the Lord like Mary did when she said, “Let it be
to me according to your word?” Friends, this is how we work the word. We hear
from God and we agree with Him. We say it and say it and say it until finally it
comes to pass in our lives. If we spend a little time combing the scriptures
for the words God is showing us, we can grab them in faith and apply them to
our souls every single day. The more of the word we get, the better. We can
never get too much word!
Let’s work His word and experience His fullness down deep in our souls!
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