Oftentimes a verse will jump off the page while I’m reading the Bible. I love when that happens because it means the Holy Spirit’s talking and God has a special message for me. One such “jumping” moment resided in Psalm 34:8—Taste and see that the Lord is good. I had read it many times, yet never lingered long enough to examine all its layers.
Do you remember your mother serving a new dish or food and you were sure that you wouldn’t like it? As you were turning up your nose, she was saying, “Try it; you’ll like it.” And when you did, you were surprised with how good it really was. To me, that’s the crux of this verse, “Try God, you’ll like Him.” We profess to know about God, saying He’s faithful, loving, trustworthy, forgiving, and powerful, but just like we may assume a piece of chocolate from a box of chocolates tastes good, we don’t know it is until we take a bite and sample it. That is the same for God. You may have basic knowledge of God, but have you put it to work? Have you taken a bite and sampled His characteristics? Do you know Him as faithful, trustworthy, loving, forgiving, or powerful?
Taste and see that the Lord is good. Taste means to experience, to test, to recognize. I love to ponder the synonyms for taste: savor, relish, smack, sip, nibble. Which one denotes minimal indulging? Which one reflects enjoyment? We each have a relationship with God in varying degrees and on different levels. Are you a nibbler or a feaster?
Taste and see that the Lord is good. Notice three ways to sharpen your taste buds:
1. Get to know Him. Experience His character firsthand. By traveling the path God put before you and living by His principles, you become acquainted with His nuances. You uncover different facets. First, you have experienced God’s goodness through birth. He created you. He breathed life into you. You’re alive because of the Master Creator’s goodness. Second, if you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior, then you have witnessed His grace through salvation. What other ways are you familiar with God’s favor?
2. Road Test His Promises. Put Him to the test. The only way you can comprehend the blessings of God is to test them. Psalm 119:140 says, Your promises have been thoroughly tested. Have you tested His promises of peace, forgiveness, protection, or faithfulness? Discover for yourself that His guarantees offer security. Just like you would road test a car before purchasing it, have you road tested God? The last time you were defeated, overwhelmed, lonely, or fearful, did you surrender the situation to God to see what He would do?
3. Participate in a relationship with Him. Be actively involved. You can sit at the dinner table and smell the great food, see how pretty it looks, and observe how much your family enjoys it, but you aren’t participating in the meal unless you eat, too. So, you cannot truly experience God’s goodness unless you participate in a relationship with Him—spending time in prayer, in the Word, in praise, and in worship. Experience the benefits of a personal relationship with God.
Taste and see that the Lord is good. We can reason, argue, and resort to logic to explain that God is good, but when all is said and done, we must taste and see for ourselves. It’s only when His love and presence touch our hearts can we really know Him in His unspeakable goodness. I challenge you to taste and see that the Lord is good. Go ahead, take a bite and savor the flavor of His loving-kindness, power, strength, and protection. Try Him. You’ll be craving for more!
About Shelley Pulliam
Howdy! (A girl from Oklahoma has to use this as her greeting) I’m Shelley Pulliam, executive director of Arise Ministries and former teacher of hormone-filled 8th graders. But my real claim to fame rests in my award as second grade spelling bee champ and my recent gun-handling skills as I train to competition shoot. It helps me be on guard when Satan comes knocking. I’m a voracious reader and can frequently be found at the theater enjoying movie marathons where my record stands at six in one day. I’m a single, never married, who loves to pour into children at every opportunity. Let me know if you have any for sale. You can connect with me on social media. https://www.instagram.com/shelleypulliam/