Verse of the Day: Psalm
34:8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good;
Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
King David (before he was
king) had been running for his life, with King Saul in hot pursuit. He finds
himself in Philistine territory and chooses to act like he is crazy before King
Abimelech. In those days it was thought to be wrong to kill people who were
mentally ill. Although David chose to resort to his own plan to avoid being
killed, he still recognized that that it was God’s goodness and mercy that
allowed him to escape with his life intact. The reality of life is that there
will be those times in our lives when we find ourselves with our backs to the
wall, and will resort to our own wisdom, and ideas, about how to find resolution
in a time of crisis. In those times of desperation, we seem to forget that God
is able to deliver us, regardless of the circumstances. However, like David, we
must never forget, even after our own lack of faith and trust, that God is
faithful. Our lack of faithfulness does not make God’s null and void. He
remains faithful to us, in spite of us. These are the times we experience true
grace, mercy, love, patience, and God’s overall goodness toward us. There is no
greater testimony that we can give than in those moments when we trust God
completely, and can share with others how He miraculously guided us through difficult
circumstances. Regardless, we, at the very least, can give God praise for His
deliverance; for even in those times when we fail to depend on Him, it is still
up to Him as to whether or not we will be delivered from whatever challenge(s)
we are facing. Even though David had failed to fully trust God in this
instance, he can still praise God because prior to this God had already done much
to deliver him from King Saul’s grip. Interestingly, even though he resorted to
his own plan, David seems to have kept God’s faithfulness in mind, as indicated
by the beginning of this Psalm (v. 4). He tells us that he sought the Lord, He
heard him, and delivered him. After a moment of failing to trust God, we must
still remember those times in our past when God has been faithful, and brought
us through difficulties (it is those recollections that will bring us back to
the reality that God never fails us). The bottom line is that God remains with
us, even in the moments when our faith wavers (Heb 13:5-6). We, as children of
God, are truly a blessed people. Therefore, we must savor His goodness. We must
meditate on it, and praise Him for it. However, we cannot truly taste and see
the goodness of God outside of a personal relationship with Jesus. It is only
when we accept God’s salvation, and experience His deliverance from life’s
trials, that we have the opportunity to know what it is to taste and see God’s
goodness. It is for this reason that we must cherish our times of trials, even
though we may not see the value of each one while we are in the midst of them.
How can we have an appreciation for something we have not experienced? How can
we truly appreciate God’s love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness, if we do not
allow Him the opportunity to show us personally? It is time to let God be God
in our lives, trust Him over our own ways, and be ready to share our
testimonies about His goodness.
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