TASTE AND SEE
“Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
”
I remember when my son was just a little guy and I was trying to convince him to eat mint chocolate chip ice cream. He had already determined in his little mind that all things green tasted bad! He refused to try it. I eventually tricked him into it and, of course, he loved it! This is a great example of how all of us can be. We have preconceived ideas and beliefs based on false perceptions instead of tasting it for ourselves and finding out the real facts. The word "taste" in Psalm 34:8 literally means to perceive by experiencing.
Many people are more than willing to give their opinion about God without first knowing Him.
“Tasting God” means taking Him at His word. TRUST. So many people live in the "I’ll believe it when I see it" world. But with God it’s the other way around.
You will actually never see until you believe!
When the world sees the goodness of God on display in His church (His favor, His blessings, His healing) they will sit up and take notice. People will not learn about how good God is merely because we tell them. They will learn when they see it. They will see it by witnessing Christians who walk through trials, tribulations, and pressures of this world with hope, confidence, joy, peace, and strength.
I have found that the more I fall in love with Jesus, the less I fall in love with worldly systems and ideals. The less I care about what people think about me, the more I care about what they think about Him! When I take steps of trust and find refuge in God, that is when I discover who I truly am and who He has called me to be.
God wants to reveal Himself to you.
He does not want to remain mysterious or unknowable. He wants us to experience His strength, His grace, the provision of His goodness, and His faithfulness. He wants us to ever-increasingly know Him in a continually deepening way.
Someone once said, “when God shows up, He can do more in five seconds than we can do in five years.” If that is true, then the secret of all our success is to be found in the presence of God. Think of it, when we move out of the way, focus all attention upon God, and release the controls of our life over to Him, anything is possible.
“Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered; let those also who hate Him flee before Him. As smoke is driven away, so drive them away; as wax melts before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God.”
God is so awesome that nothing can stand before Him and exert its will against Him and prevail. David said, "I have set the Lord always before me." King David recognized the presence of God. We can do the same as we learn to adjust our hearts until we realize, "He's here." Our confidence skyrockets when the presence of the Lord becomes manifested to us.
The clearer the manifestation of His presence, the greater the dimension of faith.
To live by the theory of His presence is wrong. To say, "Well, I know He's always with me" is not good enough. It is simply not enough to know about God. He invites us to know Him!
Is it possible to become so satisfied with where we are and what we have that we don’t press in for God’s best? What are you feeding your mind and emotions each day? What does your "diet" look like?
Typically our lives are so jammed with junk food for the soul and amusements for the flesh that we don’t know what it is to be really hungry.
Many of us are so concerned with our own comfort, and that of our families, our desires and to-do lists, that God gets precious little of our attention.
Through praise and worship, David changed his focus. In times of uncertainty and upheaval, God was David’s constant. Why? Because God doesn’t change. No matter what the circumstance, God is above it, seated upon the throne of sovereignty, and holding the scepter of dominion.
If we are not careful our Christianity can be reduced to mere observation.
The psalmist says "taste and see that the Lord is good." Taste! When you taste it, then you will see it. Have you ever experienced eating lobster or chicken wings with someone you are not that comfortable around? For example, when my wife Lydia and I were dating I was trying to impress her. I avoided uncomfortable scenarios such as eating BBQ chicken wings in front of her! A person who wants to impress someone else may move the food around their plate because they're nervous and don’t want to look silly. Sound familiar?
It is so much easier to come to church, move around, and look sophisticated, than it is to participate.
At times it is difficult to explain what something tastes like. Food is meant to be experienced! In the Bible there is a common phrase used to describe the Word of God; "it tastes like honey." David had experiences where he tasted God. To him, the Word tasted like honey!
My wife Lydia is Norwegian. When I first met her she told me about Norwegian chocolate and described how amazing it was. I had not experienced it and was not a huge chocolate fan. I figured it was just a childhood memory that was important to her, but doubted that Norwegian chocolate was anything above average. My opinion completely changed when I had my first bite. There is no way anybody can convince me that it doesn't taste incredible! I have tasted of its goodness!
There is nothing like the goodness of God. Don’t take my word for it. Try it! For me, it is not just a childhood memory or emotion. There truly is nothing as good as the Presence of God!
Tasting and Seeing,
Scott