August 09, 2015

Taste and See

Psalm 34

Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.

—  Psalm 34:8

“Try it; you’ll like it.”

That’s what David is urging us to do. He is inviting us to experience what he has discovered: the goodness of God’s salvation. David is celebrating that God has rescued him from his fears and troubles.

Psalm 34 is a song of gratitude we can all sing when God brings us out of a “close call” situation. But David’s joy is only a foretaste of the future redemption God will bring to all who trust in him, to all whom God will redeem through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

God promises great blessings to his people. God will deliver, guard, supply, listen, and redeem all who trust in his power to save. God himself also gives us the ability to believe and trust in him. And in response we seek to honor him in all things, speak truthfully, seek peace and justice, and humbly serve our God.

“Taste and see that the Lord is good.” This psalm is an invitation to take God at his word, to trust in the Lord and experience his goodness firsthand, to know God personally, realizing that he loves us more than we can imagine.

The invitation is ours to receive, but it is also ours to extend. What opportunities has God given us to share his invitation with others? Whom would God ask us to include in his rescue and deliverance?

Jesus, bread of life, living water, thank you for the hearty taste of salvation and new life. In your name we pray. Amen.

About the author — Thea Leunk

Thea Nyhoff Leunk has been a high school English teacher, a director of Christian education, a pastor of discipleship, and a regional coach for the Christian Reformed Church in North America. She is currently the senior pastor at Eastern Avenue Christian Reformed Church, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Thea has also written courses for teens and young adults on world religions, Christian faith traditions, and science and the Bible. She and her husband have three adult children.

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