To experience God with all senses
I'm sure we all pray that our loved ones—non-believers, family, friends, neighbors, and colleagues—will give God a chance. Each of them has a point of view about God. Is the God they 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!" (Ps 34,9)How can we help them respond to this invitation? This isn't a marketing gimmick—David points to the profound truth that God reveals himself to everyone who seeks him. He invites us into a resilient, life-changing relationship with God that encompasses every dimension 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 triune God's nature and the complexity of His ways awakens a hunger for the things of God. Jesus said, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." (Mt 5,6)When we come to know God personally, we yearn for righteousness—for good and right relationships—just as God does. Especially when things are bad, this longing is so intense it hurts, as if we were starving or dying of thirst. We see this intensity in Jesus' ministry to his fellow human beings 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 this 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 good!
See that the Lord is benevolent
See? Yes! Through our sense of sight, we see beauty and perceive shape, distance, movement, and color. Think about how frustrating it is when what we desperately want to see is hidden. Think of an avid birdwatcher who hears the sound of a long-sought, rare species but cannot see it. Or the frustration of trying to find your way around an unfamiliar, dark room at night. Then consider this: How can we experience the goodness of a God who is invisible and transcendent, beyond our human comprehension? This question reminds me of what Moses, perhaps somewhat frustrated, asked of God: “Let me see your glory!” to which God replied, “All my goodness will pass before you.” (2. Mo 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 it is a journey of discovery, getting to know 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. By looking at him as he is portrayed in Scripture, we discover the one who is “full of grace and truth,” and we see the “glory” of the “only Son, who comes from the Father.” (Joh 1,14)Although “no one has ever seen God… the only Son has revealed him to us, he who is himself God and sits at the side of the Father” (Joh 1,18)To see God as he truly is, we need look no further than the Son!
Go and say it
Psalm 34 It paints a picture of the one God who is kind, just, loving, and personal—a God who wants his children to experience his presence and goodness and who delivers them from evil. It tells of a God so real that our lives are forever changed, and our hearts, like Moses', yearn for him and his ways. This is the triune God we present to our families and loved ones. As followers of Jesus, we are called to participate in our Lord's ministry of evangelism by sharing the gospel (the good news) that the Lord is truly a good God. Taste, see, and spread the word that the Lord is good.
from Greg Williams
