Breast?

The Song

Jesus, the very thought of thee
With sweetness fills my breast;
But sweeter far thy face to see
And in thy presence rest.

“Fills My Breast”?

“fills my breast”?

breast? breast? breast? breast? breast? breast? breast? breast? breast? breast? breast? breast? breast? breast? breast? breast? breast? breast? what?....

It sounds like you’re going a little crazy.... perhaps noticing a recurring phrase or image in spiritual or religious language—especially the idea of God’s presence “filling the breast” or the heart.

This kind of wording shows up most often in mystical or devotional traditions, where physical imagery is used to describe something deeply spiritual and emotional, not literal.

What “Breast” Usually Means in This Context

And why Jesus is having me sing a breast song as one of the best songs.

In older religious writing, the “breast” often symbolizes:

• The heart or inner being — where emotions and spirit are felt
• The seat of love and devotion
• A place of closeness or intimacy with God

So when someone writes about God “filling my breast,” or, Greg, when you sing, “with sweetness fills my breast,” you and they’re usually describing:

• A sense of overwhelming divine presence — Spirit Possession, Lord? Alma 34:34
• Feeling deeply loved, comforted, or spiritually moved
• An experience that is hard to express in purely abstract terms

Examples from Christian Mysticism

Writers like Teresa of Ávila or John of the Cross often used bodily and even romantic imagery to describe union with God. This language can sound intense because it’s trying to capture something:

• Personal
• Experiential
• Beyond ordinary language

Similarly, in the Bible—especially in poetic books like Psalms or Song of Songs—you’ll find imagery that connects physical sensation with spiritual reality.

Why This Language Feels So Strong

And why Jesus has you use it, Greg.

Mystics across traditions — Christian, Sufi, etc. — often describe divine experience as:

• Filling
• Burning
• Overflowing
• Dwelling within

Because the experience is so internal, they borrow the closest human analogies — including the chest, heart, or breast — to make it understandable.

Thanks, Jesus