Guess what siblings?! Today we have the distinct pleasure of reflecting on a verse that influenced the name of this devotional. Yes, you do. As we reflect, feel free to think about your engagement with Scripture in this space. Hopefully, you’ll find this Nougat a keeper. Consider Today’s Holy Nougat.
Psalms 34:8 NIV
[8] Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
Taste and See
So, in the Jamaican tradition, someone at the market could sample fruits before purchasing. It was pretty effective marketing long before it was in vogue with the large conglomerates like Sam’s Club and Costco. The act of sampling the goods was called ‘Taste and Buy’. I tell you, siblings, each time I read the psalmist’s instructions that we must taste and see that the Lord is good, it comes to my mind.
Point to Ponder
Have we considered inviting a friend to sample God’s goodness? How did we frame our invitation?
Application
If you’ve ever been to a Jamaican market, I’m sure you can hear the psalmist shouting to us in the marketplace: God’s over here! Come on over – taste and buy!, just like an expert hawker. And while it may seem unorthodox, the truth is, once we get a really good taste of God through Y’shua Jesus, I’m convinced we will be joining those hawkers.
For sure, we’ll be the ones shouting,
Take Y’shua, you get all 3! Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – taste One, you get the Trinity!
God for the road! Come on over and give God a try! God sorts out all mind of troubles.
Taste and see Jesus, taste and buy – even if you have no money. Come! Taste and buy!
Alright, alright, those aren’t exactly what David said. But I tell you – that’s the sentiment behind his words. And I know this. Because, while this devotional started as a way of strengthening my own prayer life, it soon assumed its own life. Ito was obliged to share with us all to taste and see that God is good.
This verse, along with Ezekiel 3:1-3, compelled me to think about us all eating God’s Word, and discovering that it’s as sweet as, or even sweeter than honey. With that discovery, I also hope that we desire to have more and more of God in our lives, and that we also feel led to invite others to taste of God’s goodness.
It can be us raising a hallelujah in the presence of friends and/or enemies. It could be sharing a testimony like David did for us; offering a record of God’s goodness in the land of the living. More critically, it might be an invitation shared with others by our actions, where they can’t help but hear the invitation to taste and see God from the testimony of our lives. Whichever it is, siblings in Christ, my prayer is that we not only taste and reflect and see God’s goodness; but that we also invite others to join in this feast.
Of course, there’s the even more literal ‘taste and see’, as in the eating of the Bread of Life; but, God’s willing – we’ll reflect on that tomorrow.
Self-Check
How open are we to sharing with others about God’s goodness amid our/their adversity?
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May all we seek be found in Christ
