“We taste and feel and see the truth.  We do not reason ourselves into it.” – William Butler Yeats

“I am Yahweh your God, who brought you up from the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.” – Psalm 81:10 HCSB

“You open your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.” – Psalm 145:16 NIV

“Taste and see that the Lord is good….” – Psalm 34:8 NIV

Some things in life just have to be experienced personally.  There is no way around it.  You can be told by the most intimate of friends and by the most trusted of colleagues how absolutely wonderful or utterly devastating something is – but unless you’ve been subjected to it, faced it, gone through it, or come in contact with it directly, you can never truly experience it completely.

There are so many, many things I love about God, but the one aspect I cherish most is how the Creator of the Universe, in all His splendor, glory, and power, desires to get to know us personally.  Not just some of us, but every single one of us!

I love how the Psalmist above writes so descriptively about this individual invitation.  The Contemporary English Version says, “Discover for yourself that the Lord is kind.”  The Good News Translation says, “Find out for yourself how good God is.”

You see….it’s something you have to experience for yourself.  It’s personal – as unique, exclusive, and original as your own tastes are….as singular and distinctive as your specific viewpoint or observation.  God loves YOU and He wants you to find out and discover the truth of who He really is for YOURSELF, in the light of your own experiences, your own particular circumstances, and within the space of where you find yourself and your own life right now.

When it comes to taste, each of us are so different.  One loves chocolate and hates broccoli while the other craves vegetables and detests sweets.  Two people can observe the same event or situation and see it in an entirely different way.  So it is no coincidence, no error of text when the Scripture says, “TASTE and SEE that the Lord is good!”  What a wonderful, personal invitation – the only one of its kind – meant just for you!

We can try to be convinced of this fact, pressured, and even lectured by others – telling us just how important it is to acknowledge God, to go to church, to perfectly practice the commandments – to become the model Christian.  But when you think about it, all the reasons don’t matter.

Just like William Yeats says so eloquently, to understand truth; we must taste, feel, and see it for ourselves.

But we must be willing to look – willing to taste.

I remember when I was little how my parents encouraged us to try different foods.  “Try it….you might like it!”  But if you never try a bite, you will never experience firsthand what it tastes like.

The same can be said of what we see.  If we aren’t purposeful in our observation, looking with an intent to see and understand, then the truth will pass us by.

To know what answered prayer tastes like, we need to try prayer.  To see Him in the truth and light of who He is, we must taste a sample His Word.  To behold the grace, mercy and kindness of God within our circumstances, we must be willing to open our eyes to intently look for it, examine it, and focus on it.

God is saying to you, “Try me and you will see my goodness!  Discover my love and my kindness for yourself, not by what others tell you to believe or how others influence you.  I know your tastes!  I know what you are looking for and seeking!  Find out the truth about me – seek it within the context of who you are and the person I’ve created you to be.  I promise to love you – to be your refuge! ”

May each of us, with our own unique tastes and observations, find the goodness of God in our lives – accepting the personal invitation to seek and discover the truth of who He really is!

God bless 🙂