Tasting God

 April 5, 2021

“O taste and see that the LORD is good!” —Psalm 34:8. COVID robbed me of my sense of taste and smell for almost two weeks. I guess I’m fortunate; some have gone for six months or more. Food had no appeal to me; texture was the only difference between a noodle and a pretzel. A gourmet meal would have been waste on me. The good part is that going back for seconds was pointless. I only ate till I was moderately full—good for the waistline.

Some children are notorious for not wanting to try new foods. I didn’t grow up that way. Mom never cooked special meals; we had two options: take it or leave it. Actually, we had only one option. We had to try everything set before us, maybe just a taste, but refusal was not an option. Some kids never outgrow that pickiness; I on the other hand, will eat whatever is placed before me. Except sushi. I like my fish cooked, thank you. The lessons learned as a child has served me well as an adult traveling to other countries and eating whatever is placed before me. I remember old time missionaries who modified lyrics to the old hymn: “Where he leads me I will follow/What he feeds me I will swallow.”

it isn’t enough to admire the place setting,to marvel at the presentation of a meal. At some point, we must lift the fork and dig in. The psalm says to “taste” God—all the marvelous nuances of flavor, from honey sweet to bitter herbs. When we treat God like a buffet, taking only what is appealing to us, our diet gets unbalanced and our health suffers.

Too often we suffer from spiritual COVID, unable to taste due to the virus of sin raging through our souls. It is no way to live—insipid, tasteless, bland. Digging into the Word of God, persevering in prayer, stepping out in faithful witness can make our spiritual taste buds explode with flavor. “TASTE and see that the LORD is good!”