Psalm 34:8

Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him ~ Psalm 34:8


The scriptures say we should not test God so as to check if he really is God. That is because its root stems from doubt, not from faith. There is an example in Malachi which actually does tell us to test God – “bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord God Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing there will not be room enough to store it.” Here, we are plainly told to test God. The verse from Psalms comes about it a different way – he appeals to our senses subjectively rather than objectively through our possessions. To taste something is to savor it, to have its smell tingle our nose, its flavour intoxicates our taste buds, and our stomach enjoys it. It is to take it in wholeheartedly from without. To see something allows our sight to see its colour, its radiance, its ripeness, its highlights. With both our senses alive we come to the Lord in anticipation. What will we see, what will fill us? For those who do not know the Lord Jesus intimately, this is an encouraging word to speak to them. Come to the table is what we are saying. Come to the table of blessing, of healing, of wholeness. Come to the table that will really fill you and satisfy all your cravings. Come and try the fare that is provided for you and see if you will turn away again. You see, the Lord invites us to come to him to receive what he has for us. The unsaved do not understand that by way of saying God will save you from your sins, for they don’t believe they have sin. But, when we say come and be filled in a way you have never been before, all the hunger within them will rise to the top begging them to find relief. God is our refuge, our help, our strength. In him we are blessed indeed!

Pastor Julia

image by pixabay

Comments

Post a Comment

Thank you for your comments

Popular posts from this blog

Proverbs 18:2

Image
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in sharing their own opinions ~ Proverbs 18:2 If we are going to understand something, we must fully digest it so that when we speak, we speak with wisdom. When we have only half truths in our mind, our words become empty and senseless. We then puff out air rather than understanding when we speak. A wise person will want to improve their mind through learning in various ways from the world around them. A person who delights in spiritual understanding will find peace and enjoyment in reading the Word of God on a daily basis, and in participating with God’s people in a learning and praising environment – the church! We come together in corporate worship with the understanding that not one of us knows all things, but we bend our mind and heart to learn what God has to show and say to us. A foolish person makes a show of what they “know” to please their friends or to save face in front of them. More often a wise person will hold t
Read more

Romans 8:26

Image
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans ~ Romans 8:26 Many days, many times, I have the words for prayer. It comes forth and flows fairly naturally as I converse with my Lord God. I hope in the God I worship to hear me, and to receive my words, as I pray in the name of Jesus and believe in Him, my intercessor. He is my Living Saviour, my High Priest, standing at the right hand of God the Father. But there are times when my pain has been so deep that my words will not come. There are times when my agony is so piercing that what words I may speak would not be enough. And so, in my deep, black moments, I come before my God and let my darkest emotions erupt in sounds that only He can understand. The Holy Spirit within me cries out in my stead, and He becomes my second intercessor. It is not that He is not there with me in all my prayers, but there are times wh
Read more

Isaiah 43:19

Image
Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert ~ Isaiah 43:19 When we meet a challenge, we are often found discouraged, lost, even hopeless. Nothing is working, everything seems to be against us. We do not know how to move forward, so we remain curled up in a ball. Then, a glimmer of light shines through! Hope is regained and movement is stirred within. Don’t we become excited when we begin to feel it? God moves like that. We cannot see our way around it, but He can and does. And He makes a way for us out of the calamity of our fears. It is the feeling of springtime after a long winter, or the smell of fresh cut grass. Life stirs within and we move and we see what God saw all the time – the answer to our dilemma. Our desert place becomes an oasis, and we can do what we are called to do. Something totally unexpected happens, something unheard of, but it begins in our life, and we feel the
Read more