Come 2

Come 2!

O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. Psalms 34:8 KJV

Here was David, who appeared to have walked into trouble with the enemies of Israel. His escape was to pretend to be mad, so that the king then drove him away. Today's extract is from the song that David wrote about this experience. Life itself is full of unpredictable events, but what happens to me will be a function of what I do with the opportunities that God will bring my way.

One thing David did was to recognise the source of his strength and help. He cried out to God, not to any man. Man can ascribe to himself power and strength, but the ultimate power of deliverance and safety belongs to God. And because he cried to the right source, he got the right kind of help. It is not just enough to cry and wail and shout; it must be directed to the right source, who is God.

And God, who delights in hearing us call to Him, actually did save David. He walked right out of the enemy camp into safe territory. He then invites us to come and experience the same thing he did: God's goodness. Please remember: there was something he did before this invitation: he called out to God, in recognition of his own limitation and God's strength. We make assumptions that God knows what we are going through, which is true, but I also know that a closed mouth may not fully experience the salvation and deliverance promised here.

Look at the choice of words: taste and see. How can God's goodness be tasted and seen? Could it be it is because these senses are fundamental to the human experience? You become a living witness to whatever you have processed with your tongue and eyes. If I am asked to come and testify of what my eyes have seen or what I have eaten, nobody can explain the experience on my behalf because nobody else walked the path for me. 

When I speak of God's goodness, it is because it is a personal experience. When I speak of God's goodness, it isn't hard to say because my life has been sweetened by that experience, and it is able to flow out of me to impact other people. How would other people be attracted to this God, if his goodness is not so evident that it cannot be ignored? No wonder David ends here by saying that a man who trusts in this God is truly blessed. And David would know, having enjoyed this goodness on a personal level. So, the invitation still stands: come and experience the God who can change lives and guarantee eternal life. He wants to come in and make a change in me, if I let Him. I have opened up my heart; would you too? His time of favour is here.