Taste & See
As 2023 is coming to a close, I want to share some of my own reflections on one of my favorite passages: Psalm 34. It’s a fitting Psalm to close out the year for a few reasons:
Wilderness. The first verse of the Psalm is actually the superscription (or the title), and it reminds us that it was written by David in the midst of a real, historical moment, one we heard about back in July when Andrew preached on 1 Samuel 21. We saw how God often meets us with his unexpected grace in the confusion and chaos of the wilderness. How have you experienced wilderness moments in 2023? And how has God met you in the midst of them?
Praise. Right after the title, David begins with praise. God’s gracious provision should drive us to wholehearted worship, both in our daily lives and when we gather together. Yet this sort of praise doesn’t come naturally for us. It’s not our default move, at least not without cultivating rhythms and habits. Do you find yourself boasting in your own accomplishments or in the Lord? What can you stop and praise him for right now?
Savoring. Verse 8 invites us to “taste and see that the LORD is good!” We know that God is good, but this calls us to go beyond head knowledge to the experience of intentionally savoring God’s goodness. The busyness of life, the hardships we experience, and even God’s good gifts all around us can distract us from sitting with Jesus and savoring him. This year have you been weighed down, distracted, or numb to God? What would it look like for you to move beyond head knowledge of God’s goodness to actually tasting and seeing that He is good?
Presence. While hardships can distract us from God, they can also drive us toward him. Verses 15-18 show us that, in the midst of our darkest valleys, God turns his eyes and his ears toward us and has a special closeness to those who are brokenhearted and crushed in spirit. We have an amazing church community, and yet loneliness can still hit hard for many of us, especially around the holidays. The promise of God’s presence here provides us with real comfort, lasting peace, and the freedom to practice radical honesty and vulnerability instead of pretending life is perfect. And it reminds us to be his hands and feet and move toward those who are hurting.
I pray that 2024 brings each of us (myself included) to a place where we can honestly say, “Nothing in my hands I bring, simply to Thy cross I cling.”
Photo by Arwin Neil Baichoo on Unsplash