Good morning to you my precious family
Psalm 34:8 says “Taste and see that the LORD is good! How blessed is the person who trusts in Him!”
Psalm 34 is a song of thanksgiving in which David begins by praising God for His deliverance from fear and trouble (verses 4 & 6). David then calls upon the people of Israel to remember that their God is both their Protector and Deliverer (vs 7).
Verse 8 shares a story of murderous threats, insanity, and praise for God. Interesting mix, isn’t it?
This verse—not to mention our walk with Christ—has a deeper impact than what we see at surface level.
The first part of verse 8 shows a hand extended in love—an invitation to draw close to God, to experience His love and the goodness surrounding Him.
He offers protection, direction, peace, forgiveness, wisdom, and much more. He is good. Taking refuge in the Lord indicates we trust Him—whether our situation or circumstances are good or bad. We must run to Him for the little and big things in life. Sometimes, leaning on God during those hard situations are when we truly taste and see His goodness the most.
When we depend on God and willingly look to our Father to meet our needs, provide direction and protection, and so forth, He calls us blessed.
In Psalm 34, David calls for praising God in all circumstances. We find assurance that He hears our prayers and that He delivers us from our troubles. Threaded throughout is a theme that God sees and hears us and that He takes care of His children.
This call for men to trust in the Lord, to taste of His faithfulness, and to see that the Lord is good and gracious, stands in the center of a psalm that begins by blessing the Lord at all times and praising Him continually. It is a trumpet call for men to glorify the name of the Lord and to lift Him up in a symphony of worship and praise, for He alone is worthy of our honour.
The reason David can offer exultant praise is that he sought the Lord and God answered his prayer. David was on the run from Saul who had become jealous of God’s anointed one, and in his attempt to escape from Saul, David flees into the arms of another deadly adversary - king Achish of the Philistines and David acts insane.
David was a man after God’s own heart who recognised the sustaining hand of the Lord in his own life and gave honour and praise to Him at all times. Like David, we would do well to hide under the shadow of God’s protective arm, to seek Him in the midst of our trials and cry out to Him for deliverance from our enemies so that we may rejoice and encourage others.
Over and again we discover wonderful ways that the Lord delivers His servants from their struggles and saves them from the hands of their enemies. It was for this reason that David’s great song of joy and rejoicing rang out with the words, "O taste and see that the Lord is good. How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him?”
All Christians, from the time of their new birth, are to hunger for the Word. A new-born baby does not need to be taught to cry out for milk. The natural hunger is internally experienced and they make their voice heard.
As believers, God expects that we are to hunger internally for His Word. His Word nourishes our souls, and when we hunger, we are to cry out in desire and in need for the pure word and faithful teachings so that we will grow spiritually and so that we will “taste and see” His goodness and grace.
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 will deliver you, one way or another. That doesn’t mean there will be no suffering. David knew that too, he says, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous” (vs 19), but the point is, the LORD will come through in the end.
Whether in this life or through death itself, God’s promise is firm: He guards your life, your eternal life. He stands close, He keeps you believing, and provides all you need to serve Him. God is good. Cry to Him and taste it for yourself!
My Prayer:
Father God, You are good. I have tasted of this goodness and proclaim it to the world. I have seen the beautiful and mighty work of Your hands and know that You alone are good and I trust You. In all situations, whether good or bad, I run to You. And if I allow fear, discouragement, or other feelings to lead me astray, remind me of Your goodness, for You alone are my only true refuge. I will trust in You. You are so good. May the glory be Yours. Thank you, my loving Father. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Much love from Maurice and Margaret
