You may know the phrase “I will sing of the goodness of God” from Christian music. Christian recording artist CeCe Winans produced a beautiful rendition of the Bethel Music song “Goodness of God” in 2021, the lyrics celebrating how God has been so faithful to her throughout her life.
But is there a Bible verse that specifically says, “I will sing of the goodness of God?”
The phrase “I will sing of the goodness of God” certainly sounds like it would fit within the psalms since they were written as songs to God and about God. But a search of different translations finds no such exact wording.
There are several places in the Bible where we can come close to the sentiment of “I will sing of the goodness of God”:
“Surely your goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” (Psalm 23:6)
“I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.” (Psalm 27:13)
“I will sing the LORD’s praise, for he has been good to me.” (Psalm 13:6)
“Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.” (Psalm 90:14)
“They celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.” (Psalm 145:7)
“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.” (1 Chron 16:34)
All true and beautiful sentiments about being grateful for God’s amazing love for us, but not exactly the verse we seek.
The closest we come to a Bible verse using this phrase is Psalm 89:1. It’s not surprising that singing about God would appear in the psalms, but this psalm focuses on the value of singing about God’s eternal love for His children. It says:
“I will sing of the LORD’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations.” (NIV)
Some translations of the verse get closer to this phrase. For example, the Amplified Bible puts it this way:
“I will sing of the goodness and lovingkindness of the LORD forever; With my mouth I will make known Your faithfulness from generation to generation.”
Is singing to God optional for the believer—either in our hearts or out loud? Considering Jesus’ sacrifice to pay for our sins, we have great reason to bring glory to God in this way. According to Colossians 3:16, we are called to sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with thankfulness to God. Some of us may find it easier to worship in ways other than singing, but the goal is to praise him however we can. When we fail to, God knows our walk with Him will be less than what it could be. When we think of what is happening in the heavens each day, with legions of angels singing “holy, holy, holy” constantly, why would we want to praise Him any less each day?
If we focus on Psalm 89:1 as our source for “I will sing of the goodness of God,” we must consider what information the Bible gives us. The psalm includes a heading, “A maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite.”
According to The NIV Study Bible, the word “maskil” appears in the title of several psalms and perhaps indicates that these psalms focus on instruction in godliness—since the Merriam-Webster definition is “a person versed in Hebrew or Yiddish literature.”
The explanation that maskil fits with Gill’s Exposition of the Bible, which says “that every psalm that is called ‘Maschil’ was dictated by an interpreter: the Targum renders it ‘a good understanding’; and the word properly signifies ‘instruction’, or ‘causing to understand.’”
So, who is Ethan the Ezrahite? First, “Ezrahite” was a title given to the two sons of Zerah (the other son being Heman). Several Zerahs are listed in the Bible, but 1 Chronicles lists several genealogies just before David takes power, including Zerah being of the tribe of Judah. Again, The NIV Study Bible tells us that David had two musicians named Ethan and Heman, but there is uncertainty as to whether that particular Ethan wrote Psalm 89:1.
Bethel Music and Jenn Johnson wrote a song of this title in 2019 for their Victory album, which was then covered by CeCe Winans on her 2021 album Believe For It. From her lyrics, I’m called to remember all that God has done for me and all that He has promised to do. Even when it doesn’t feel good, God is good, and our lives glorify Himself and bring good out of every situation (see Romans 8:28).
There is also a 1912 hymn written by Ernest R. Kroeger entitled “Goodness of God.” His version pulls from Psalm 145:17, which says, “The Lord is righteous in all his ways and loving toward all he has made.” The hymn celebrates God throughout, and then the last verse turns toward the believer when it says, “My mouth shall bless the Lord my God, And all His praise proclaim; Let all unite for evermore, To bless His holy Name.”
And we can learn that everyone needs to experience this goodness of God. Those who don’t every day call on Him as Savior will never experience His goodness or true hope. We are called as believers to know Him and make Him known. Demonstrating His goodness in your life (despite circumstances) is a great way to evangelize.
The amazing thing about God is that He has many attributes we can celebrate and sing about—and they all relate to His goodness. The excellent BibleStudyTools.com article “15 Amazing Attributes of God: What They Mean and Why They Matter” describes some of these attributes. It mentions that God is infinite, immutable, self-sufficient, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, wise, faithful, just, merciful, gracious, loving, holy, and glorious.
Even a cursory look at a few of these attributes should set our hearts on fire to sing of the goodness of God. At this stage of my life, I am grateful that God is faithful and He hasn’t given up on me and I can always count on “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5).
During COVID, my family and I were tempted to believe that a pandemic was bigger than the One who said He would never let go. Though we lost some believers, the promise God makes is still true. God did not let go of them—He took them home.
I’m grateful that God is omnipresent because the enemy wants to separate all believers from their Lord. God’s glory is so pure and overwhelming that the enemy has to flee—especially when we sing of God’s present presence with our “Holy, Holy, Holy…”
The fact that God never changes—or is immutable—is extremely comforting. While the world changes daily and things get crazier as we near the Lord’s return, it’s wonderful to know that God never changes. He always loves, always cares for His children, always offers His presence when we pray, and His will for all of eternity will never change. He will never decide that Jesus is not the world’s Savior and that His sacrifice no longer pays the price for our sins. Hallelujah!
All creation was made for us, and as we thank God for all of it, we bring glory to Him. As He made day and night, light and dark, man and woman—He called them all good. That goodness emanated from His perfection. It’s all good because He is all good. That’s why we sing of His goodness. If we don’t spend time singing of His goodness every day—out loud and in our hearts—more is the pity to us. We cheat ourselves of connecting with the One who loves us so much to create the perfect place for us (until our “Blessed Hope” returns to make it perfect again).
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Sakorn Sukkasemsakorn
Mary Oelerich-Meyer is a Chicago-area freelance writer and copy editor who prayed for years for a way to write about and for the Lord. She spent 20 years writing for area healthcare organizations, interviewing doctors and clinical professionals and writing more than 1,500 articles in addition to marketing collateral materials. Important work, but not what she felt called to do. She is grateful for any opportunity to share the Lord in her writing and editing, believing that life is too short to write about anything else. Previously she served as Marketing Communications Director for a large healthcare system. She holds a B.A. in International Business and Marketing from Cornell College (the original Cornell!) When not researching or writing, she loves to spend time with her writer daughter, granddaughter, rescue doggie and husband (not always in that order).
This article is part of our larger resource library of popular Bible verse phrases and quotes. We want to provide easy to read articles that answer your questions about the meaning, origin, and history of specific verses within Scripture's context. It is our hope that these will help you better understand the meaning and purpose of God's Word in relation to your life today.
No Rest for the Wicked
Fight the Good Fight
Wait on the Lord
With Contrite Heart and Spirit
Faith Can Move Mountains