Our Great Refuge: Tasting and Seeing that the Lord is Good

Psalm 34:8 “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!”

The phrase, “taste and see,” is a notion worthy of reiteration as a reminder to remain vigilant regarding all that God has accomplished and is currently undertaking. This phrase serves as an invitation to every believer to personally experience and witness the goodness of God within their lives and the lives of those around them. It suggests that there are actions that God is presently executing that we may not be cognizant of due to a lack of experience and observation.

John Calvin puts it this way when speaking about Psalm 34:8: “He, therefore, calls on them to stir up their senses and to bring a palate endued with some capacity of tasting, that God’s goodness may become known to them, or rather, be made manifest to them.”

Taste and See

To experience that the Lord is good is to personally taste the goodness of God, much like savoring food and experiencing the flavors that hit your taste buds. To experience the works of God, one must first place their trust in God through faith in Christ alone for salvation (1 Pet. 2:3). In other words, to experience the Lord is to be united with the Lord. Experiencing God encompasses far more than mere intellectual knowledge of Him; it involves an abiding relationship with God in which our hearts are actively engaged with God and in all that He is doing (John 15:4, 7, 10).

To recognize the goodness of the Lord entails seeking Him through the means He has provided for us to discover His presence. As the people of God, we perceive the revealed Creator through the divinely inspired words offered to us, the Son who was sacrificed for our benefit, and the Spirit that bears witness within our hearts. In the Scriptures, God has furnished us with all that is necessary for a life of godliness (2 Tim. 3:16-17). Through Christ, God has fully disclosed Himself, facilitating our understanding of Him (Heb. 1:3). The Spirit testifies within us, affirming that we are indeed the children of God (Rom. 8:16). 

Some Practical Steps

In practical terms, “tasting and seeing that the Lord is good” serves as an exhortation to actively engage with God through prayer, Scripture, and obedience. This concept transcends mere theoretical knowledge, which is beneficial, and emphasizes a personal experience of God through such knowledge. The aspiration is to cultivate a more experiential faith, which God is willing to provide (John 15:7). Therefore, the following are several practical methods to initiate this engagement:

• Reflecting on God’s past faithfulness: Reflecting upon specific instances in which God has provided or guided, thus fostering trust in His benevolence.

• Stepping out in faith: Adhering to God’s commands or placing trust in His promises under current circumstances, while anticipating the opportunity to observe His goodness firsthand.

• Engaging with Scripture: Engaging with God’s Word facilitates a profound understanding of His character and promises, thereby offering an opportunity to experience a “taste” of His goodness through the truth.

• Prayer and worship: Enhancing one’s relationship with God through personal communion, in which His goodness is directly experienced.

• Engaging with community: Engaging with the community of the church in which God has positioned you is essential for fostering relationships and further witnessing the remarkable works that God is accomplishing.

These methods of engagement focus less on cultivating emotionally charged assumptions regarding God and more on fostering a deeper faith and trust in God. Simultaneously, they encourage individuals to witness and experience God throughout all trials, sufferings, and positive moments in life.

Some Questions

1. How has God been working in your life lately? Consider these questions and journal about the ways God has been working, then reflect on them often.

2. What are some of the trials that God has gotten you through in the past? Again, journal some of these moments and remember them often.

3. In what ways can you improve your prayer life and study of God’s word? The more we behold Christ in prayer and study, the more we become like Christ.

4. How are you engaging with the community of believers?

Selderhuis, Herman J., et al., editors. Psalms 1–72: Old Testament. IVP Academic, 2015, p. 272.