To experience God with all senses

521 experienced with all senses godI am sure that we all pray that nonbelieving people we love - family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers - will give God a chance. Each of them has a point of view about God. Is the God you imagine the Triune God revealed in Jesus? How can we help them get to know this God in a deeply personal way? King David wrote: "Taste and see that the Lord is good!" (Psalm 34,9 New Geneva translation). How can we help them respond to this invitation? This is not a marketing gimmick - David is pointing to the profound truth that God makes himself known to everyone who seeks him. He invites us into a resilient, life-changing relationship with God that embraces all dimensions of our human existence!

Tastes that the Lord is kind

Taste? Yes! To experience the perfect goodness of God is like a delicious meal or drink that caresses the tongue. Think of the bittersweet, slow-melting chocolate or harmoniously ripened red wine that surrounds your tongue. Or think of the taste of a tender fillet of beef tenderloin seasoned with a perfect mix of salt and spices. Something similar happens when we get to know the God revealed in Jesus. We want the glorious enjoyment of his goodness to last forever!

Meditating on the richness of the being of the Triune God and the complexity of His ways awakens a hunger for the things of God. Jesus said: “Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be satisfied” (Matthew 5,6 New Geneva translation). When we get to know God personally, we long for justice - for good and right relationships - just like God. Especially when things are bad, this craving is so intense it hurts like we're starving or thirsty. We see this intensity in Jesus' ministry to those around him and his pain for those who reject God. We see it in His desire to reconcile relationships—especially our relationship with His Heavenly Father. Jesus, the Son of God, came to establish that good and fulfilling right relationship with God - to participate in God's work of making all relationships right. Jesus himself is the bread of life that satisfies our deep hunger and our hope for good and right relationships. Taste that the Lord is kind!

See that the Lord is benevolent

Look? Yes! Through our eyesight we see beauty and perceive shape, distance, movement and color. Remember how frustrating it is when what we desperately want to see is obscured. Think of an avid bird watcher who hears the sound of a long-sought rare species but cannot see it. Or the frustration of trying to find your way in an unfamiliar dark room at night. Then consider this: How can we experience the goodness of a God who is invisible and transcendent, beyond human comprehension? This question reminds me of what Moses, perhaps a little frustrated, asked of God: "Let me see your glory!" to which God replied: "I will let all my goodness pass before your face" (2. Mon 33,18-19).

The Hebrew word for glory is "kabod". The original translation for this is weight and was used to express the radiance of the totality of God (visible to all and joy to all) - all of his goodness, holiness and uncompromising fidelity. When we see the glory of God, all that is hidden is removed and we see that our triune God is genuinely good and that his ways are always right. In the glory of his righteousness and justice, God is determined to set everything right. Our God of peace and life-giving love is against all evil and guarantees that evil has no future. The Triune God shines in his glory and reveals his nature and presence - the fullness of his merciful and righteous grace. The light of God's glory shines in our darkness and reveals the brilliance of His beauty. See that the Lord is good.

A journey of discovery

Getting to know the triune God is not like quickly snapping down a fast food meal or casually watching a three-minute video clip. In order to get to know the God revealed in Jesus Christ, it is necessary that the blinders be taken from our eyes and that the sense of taste be restored. It means being miraculously healed to see and taste God for who He really is. Our imperfect senses are much too weak and damaged to grasp the fullness and glory of our transcendent, holy God. This healing is a lifelong gift and task - a wonderful, exploratory journey of discovery. It is like a rich meal in which the taste almost explodes over several courses, with each course surpassing the previous one. It's like a riveting sequel series with countless episodes - you can watch it, but never get tired or bored.  

Although a voyage of discovery, learning about the triune God in all his glory revolves around one central point—what we see and recognize in the person of Jesus. As Immanuel (God with us) he is the Lord and the God who became a visible and tangible human being. Jesus became one of us and dwelt among us. As we look upon him as depicted in Scripture, we discover him who is "full of grace and truth" and we see the "glory" of "the only Son who cometh from the Father" (John 1,14 New Geneva translation). Although "no one has ever seen God... the only Son has revealed him to us, he who is God himself, and sits by the Father's side" (John 1,18 New Geneva translation). To see God as He really is, we need look no further than the Son!

Go and say it

Psalm 34 paints a picture of the one God who is kind, righteous, loving and personal - of God who wants his children to experience his presence and goodness and who sets them free from evil. He tells of a God who is so real that our lives are changed forever and our hearts, like Moses, long for him and his ways. This is the Triune God whom we introduce to our loved ones and loved ones. As followers of Jesus, we are called to partake in the ministry of our Lord's evangelism by sharing the gospel (the good news) that the Lord is truly a good God. Taste it, see it, and tell it on that the Lord is good.

from Greg Williams


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