Don't you just hate being hungry? And what makes it worse is when someone sits down near you and says, "You've gotta taste this!" You look up to see them shoveling some delicious looking thing into their mouth. Your stomach hurts as you watch each morsel disappear into the chasm of their word vent; your heart hurts because you weren't offered a bite.
Are you hungry? I'm not talking hungry for hot-wings and nachos (which I am hungry for right now). I'm talking about a spiritual and emotional hunger. A hunger that you've tried to satisfy, but to no avail. Psalm 34:8 says, “O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him." The Lord is calling out to you, "You've gotta taste this!" What does He mean?
The phrase “Oh taste” means “to try or experience—by fully engaging your senses (sight, sound, smell, feel, taste).” Think about food you have experienced that engaged the senses:
Sight: It just looks good. Have you ever been turned off to food because of its appearance? You didn’t want to try it, because it just didn’t look good. Perhaps you missed out on some thing delicious due to its appearance.
Sound: Nothing beats the sound of burgers or dogs sizzling on the grill, bacon sizzling in grease, or your fajitas sizzling when they’re brought fresh to your table at the restaurant. The sound of food is very engaging, especially when you are hungry. (Another aspect of sound could also apply to someone describing the food to you; whether it sounds delicious or sounds disgusting.)
Smell: Smell can be a deal-breaker as far as your desire to even taste the food. Has a food’s smell ever engaged your senses enough to want to try it, even though it didn’t look the greatest? Or how about the other way around? Has a food’s smell turned you away from trying it, even though it looked delicious? Have you ever been brave enough to taste something that smelled bad, and it ended up tasting really good?
Feel: For some, this is a deal-breaker. It doesn’t matter how nice it looks, sounds, smells, or even tastes, some people get disgusted by the texture of the food.
Taste: The ultimate deal breaker. Doesn’t matter how nice it looks, sounds, smells, or even feels, if it doesn’t taste good, the experience is indeed ruined.
But, oh the food that engages and is pleasing to all five senses—yeah!!! For me, it’s the Twinkie. It just looks good. I love the sound of the wrapper being peeled away from that little cream filled sponge. Wow, the smell of a Twinkie fresh out of the wrapper! It feels so soft! (If they ever offered a Tempur-Pedic Twinkie pillow, I would be the first in line.) And oh, the taste!
Look at the next part of the verse. The phrase “and see” is translated from a Hebrew word which means “to appear, behold, gaze”. It is the same Hebrew word used when God “appeared” in a burning bush before Moses. It is also the same Hebrew word used when God “appeared” to the children of Israel in a cloud by day and pillar of fire by night. The picture here is God’s real presence in our lives.
Now, put “taste and see” together. God’s word is saying: "Try and experience My presence in your life—not just a simple knowledge of My presence—but an experience that fully engages the senses." Back to the food illustration—not a fast snack or quick trip through the drive thru, but a full-on dining experience—the sound of that meal sizzling on your plate as it’s brought to the table; the sight of that meal—it’s not just a pile of food on your plate, it’s a work of art; and oh the aroma—takes you to a magical place filled with rainbows and unicorns; and the taste just keeps you there! And for the "texture people", it feels just right.
How about you? Are you enjoying the full-on God experience each day? Do you feel His presence in your life? His joy? His peace? Do you see Him working in your life? Even in the little things? Is His presence so real you can almost taste it? Smell it? Are the sounds of His praises on your lips each day?
Why not? Let us consider a few scenarios:
Perhaps you have heard about how good God is all your life—through preaching, teaching, and testimony, but you have yet to taste for yourself.
Perhaps you’ve heard some teaching or preaching that put a slight sour taste in your mouth for a daily full-on God experience. And now you are hesitant about diving in. It is time you taste it for yourself.
Perhaps you’ve been told that you have to give up certain junk food in order to enjoy the full-on dining experience. Not so. As you begin to acquire a taste for the full-on dining experience, you will naturally lose your appetite for the junk food that doesn’t belong. That’s the cool thing about God, He takes you—junk food and all. You don’t have to change your diet before sitting down at His table, just sit down, dive in, and allow Him to help you change your appetite in His time.
Realize a full-on dining experience with the Lord is so much more fulfilling and satisfying than the junk food the world has to offer. There are no regrets when dining with the Lord. There is peace and joy at His table!
Look at what the other half of the verse says: “blessed is the man that trusteth in him”. This is literally saying, “Happy is the person who flees to God for protection, who makes God his confidence.” Think about this for a second. It is a beautiful progression: When you try and experience God presence, He becomes your confidence (you instinctively run to Him for protection), when He is your confidence and protection, it makes for a happy life (even when life is rough). Look at it the other way: when you are unhappy, realize it is because you are not making God your confidence, you are not running to Him for protection. The reason you are not making Him your confidence nor running to Him for protection, is because you are not fully experiencing His presence in your life. It is time you taste and see that the Lord is good.
You hungry? You've gotta taste this!
Are you hungry? I'm not talking hungry for hot-wings and nachos (which I am hungry for right now). I'm talking about a spiritual and emotional hunger. A hunger that you've tried to satisfy, but to no avail. Psalm 34:8 says, “O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him." The Lord is calling out to you, "You've gotta taste this!" What does He mean?
The phrase “Oh taste” means “to try or experience—by fully engaging your senses (sight, sound, smell, feel, taste).” Think about food you have experienced that engaged the senses:
Sight: It just looks good. Have you ever been turned off to food because of its appearance? You didn’t want to try it, because it just didn’t look good. Perhaps you missed out on some thing delicious due to its appearance.
Sound: Nothing beats the sound of burgers or dogs sizzling on the grill, bacon sizzling in grease, or your fajitas sizzling when they’re brought fresh to your table at the restaurant. The sound of food is very engaging, especially when you are hungry. (Another aspect of sound could also apply to someone describing the food to you; whether it sounds delicious or sounds disgusting.)
Smell: Smell can be a deal-breaker as far as your desire to even taste the food. Has a food’s smell ever engaged your senses enough to want to try it, even though it didn’t look the greatest? Or how about the other way around? Has a food’s smell turned you away from trying it, even though it looked delicious? Have you ever been brave enough to taste something that smelled bad, and it ended up tasting really good?
Feel: For some, this is a deal-breaker. It doesn’t matter how nice it looks, sounds, smells, or even tastes, some people get disgusted by the texture of the food.
Taste: The ultimate deal breaker. Doesn’t matter how nice it looks, sounds, smells, or even feels, if it doesn’t taste good, the experience is indeed ruined.
But, oh the food that engages and is pleasing to all five senses—yeah!!! For me, it’s the Twinkie. It just looks good. I love the sound of the wrapper being peeled away from that little cream filled sponge. Wow, the smell of a Twinkie fresh out of the wrapper! It feels so soft! (If they ever offered a Tempur-Pedic Twinkie pillow, I would be the first in line.) And oh, the taste!
Look at the next part of the verse. The phrase “and see” is translated from a Hebrew word which means “to appear, behold, gaze”. It is the same Hebrew word used when God “appeared” in a burning bush before Moses. It is also the same Hebrew word used when God “appeared” to the children of Israel in a cloud by day and pillar of fire by night. The picture here is God’s real presence in our lives.
Now, put “taste and see” together. God’s word is saying: "Try and experience My presence in your life—not just a simple knowledge of My presence—but an experience that fully engages the senses." Back to the food illustration—not a fast snack or quick trip through the drive thru, but a full-on dining experience—the sound of that meal sizzling on your plate as it’s brought to the table; the sight of that meal—it’s not just a pile of food on your plate, it’s a work of art; and oh the aroma—takes you to a magical place filled with rainbows and unicorns; and the taste just keeps you there! And for the "texture people", it feels just right.
How about you? Are you enjoying the full-on God experience each day? Do you feel His presence in your life? His joy? His peace? Do you see Him working in your life? Even in the little things? Is His presence so real you can almost taste it? Smell it? Are the sounds of His praises on your lips each day?
Why not? Let us consider a few scenarios:
Perhaps you have heard about how good God is all your life—through preaching, teaching, and testimony, but you have yet to taste for yourself.
Perhaps you’ve heard some teaching or preaching that put a slight sour taste in your mouth for a daily full-on God experience. And now you are hesitant about diving in. It is time you taste it for yourself.
Perhaps you’ve been told that you have to give up certain junk food in order to enjoy the full-on dining experience. Not so. As you begin to acquire a taste for the full-on dining experience, you will naturally lose your appetite for the junk food that doesn’t belong. That’s the cool thing about God, He takes you—junk food and all. You don’t have to change your diet before sitting down at His table, just sit down, dive in, and allow Him to help you change your appetite in His time.
Realize a full-on dining experience with the Lord is so much more fulfilling and satisfying than the junk food the world has to offer. There are no regrets when dining with the Lord. There is peace and joy at His table!
Look at what the other half of the verse says: “blessed is the man that trusteth in him”. This is literally saying, “Happy is the person who flees to God for protection, who makes God his confidence.” Think about this for a second. It is a beautiful progression: When you try and experience God presence, He becomes your confidence (you instinctively run to Him for protection), when He is your confidence and protection, it makes for a happy life (even when life is rough). Look at it the other way: when you are unhappy, realize it is because you are not making God your confidence, you are not running to Him for protection. The reason you are not making Him your confidence nor running to Him for protection, is because you are not fully experiencing His presence in your life. It is time you taste and see that the Lord is good.
You hungry? You've gotta taste this!
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