TASTE, SEE, TRUST

O TASTE and SEE that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that TRUSTS in Him – Psalms 34:8

“TASTE and SEE…”! For you to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living, you must have a TASTE! To taste is to perceive by experiencing. It is to distinguish the flavour of a thing by touching it with the tongue. The sense of taste distinguishes the bitter, sweet, sour, and salty qualities of substances in contact with the taste buds on the tongue. Figuratively, to taste also means to discern, evaluate or perceive – it conveys the idea of evaluative sampling of things other than food. Taste involves a conscious choice and deliberate decision. You cannot taste by proxy. It is entirely personal.

Many people are more than willing to give their opinion about God without first knowing Him. Some claim to know so much about the spiritual life, yet have never even had a genuine conversation with God. They have not “tasted”; they have only looked. Tasting is to perceive by experience; “seeing” is to know by that same experience. To “taste God” means to take Him at His word – to commit yourself by a leap of faith to His control over your life. It is to say: “I commit my life to You; do whatsoever You will with me”! When you take that stride of faith, something on the inside validates your intimacy with God. In believing, you’ll see that the LORD is good; good enough to be trusted – “blessed is the man that trusts Him”!

Tasting, Seeing, and Trusting God’s Goodness: that’s the Master Key to the Blessed Life; the route to a right relationship with the Lord. Describing the features of a fruit does not equate eating it. Telling how crunchy, delicious, juicy or sweet an apple is can never satisfy the listener, only the Taster. If you must see how sweet God’s goodness is, you’ve got to taste for yourself. How you view God depends on your experiences of and with Him. This in turn defines how you’ll respond to Him. The Holy Spirit through the Psalmist invites all to come and experience God first-hand and be convinced that “the Lord is good”! Once you’ve tasted His goodness, you’re guaranteed to keep returning for more; you’re sure to remain and abide!

The sense of taste is closely linked with the others – sight, smell, and touch. This is also true in spiritual things. Hence, there are basically three different classes of Christians: (a) those who hear without seeing; (b) those who both hear and see without tasting; and (c) those in whom all three combine – to whom “Faith” comes by hearing,” in whom faith grows by seeing, and in whom faith is developed and consummated by tasting. Paul refers to those who have “tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come” (Heb.6:5). Where do you belong? What is your testimony concerning God’s goodness? As for me and my house, our testimony is that “God is good”!