God Moments

Taste and See

By Professor Garland Owensby

My wife likes chocolate. Me, not so much. I could go the rest of my life without eating chocolate. When it comes to candy, my go to are sweets that are more on the fruity side. I like Mike & Ike, cherry licorice, and those flavored Tootsie Rolls. (Side note: Take a vanilla Tootsie Roll and eat it with an orange one. Instant creamsicle!) If I even think about Sour Patch Kids, I begin to salivate. Is it happening to you right now? Why? Our brains are designed to enjoy life and once we get that dopamine hit, we want to go back to what we find pleasurable. Things that taste good carry strong positive memories and want us going back for more.

Often, I hear people talk about having a “hunger for God.” It’s interesting that we talk about desiring God in food terms, but we didn’t start that comparison, God did. In Psalm 34:8 it reads, “Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.” The Psalmist understood that the Lord is good and only He can satisfy our spiritual hunger. So why is our spiritual appetite sated by things that are less than good or cheap imitations? Take a moment and think about a cherry, grape, or watermelon flavored candy. Can you taste it? Do you have the flavor profile? Now think about the actual fruit. Does a natural cherry taste like a cherry Starburst? Does a real grape taste like a Fanta grape soda? Does a ripe slice of fresh watermelon taste like a watermelon Now and Later? Absolutely not, but our taste buds have replaced the fake flavor with the real thing. Do we even remember what the real thing tastes like? Fruit is natural and candy is artificial. One is real and the other is a lesser substitute. But too often we crave the substitute rather than pursuing the real thing. What are you using as a substitute for the goodness of God? How does it compare to the real goodness of God?

Taste and see that the REAL Lord is good. His ways are healthier for our souls. He’s so much better than any other thing we try to substitute for His presence. Nothing we pursue will ever truly compare to how good He is, but we still pursue it. Why? Perhaps because we are too easily satisfied. In his book The Weight of Glory, C.S. Lewis wrote, “In the Gospels, it would seem our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures. Fooling around with drink & sex & ambition when infinite joy is offered us. Like an arrogant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at sea. We are far too easily pleased.” Or to put it in food terms, we are far too easily pleased by Skittles when God offers us pure, organic, fresh fruit.

Taste and see that the Lord is good. Here are some questions to reflect and pray upon. What have you substituted for the goodness of God? Are you hungry for His presence? Why or why not? What are you doing to help develop that hunger? How have you tasted the real goodness of God?