The Angel of the Lord encamps around those that fear Him, and rescues them.  Taste and see that the Lord is good.  How happy is the man that takes refuge in Him! You are His holy ones and those that fear Him lack nothing.  Psalms 34:8-9 HCSB

Have you ever gotten really hot and really thirsty?  You don’t want a sip of water, you want a large glass of water. I am not a great fan of water, but in the heat of the summer, cold water is so good after you have been working out in the heat combined with the humidity that we get here in southeast Louisiana. And what about desserts? As for me, chocolate is my favorite. If I can’t have chocolate, I can actually forego the whole dessert thing. But we all have those desserts that we just can’t get enough of right?  Did you know that you can actually drink too much water?  I think we all know that too much sugar is bad for us. We all know that it can cause diabetes, but it is also known to cause dementia and a host of other problems.

But don’t fret there is one thing that is really good for us and we can never have too much of it, that’s Jesus. We should constantly hunger and thirst for Jesus. If you have given some half-hearted effort at following Him then you have no idea how good He really is.  Our scripture passage today tells us to taste and see that the Lord is good.  Psalm 34 is 22 verses long and I encourage you to read the entire chapter, it’s good stuff. I started our scripture passage with verse 8 which begins by telling us that the Angel of the Lord encamps around those that fear Him and rescues them.  Now that in itself is awesome, right?  Let me clarify one thing, fearing God does not mean shaking in our boots at the mention of His name, but it means having this reverential awe of Him.  It means thirsting for Him and hungering for His goodness. It means wanting to please Him and not wanting to do anything that displeases Him. If we fear the Lord then we have His angel hovering over us to rescue us in times of trouble. How awesome is that?

Then our scripture passage tells us to taste the Lord and see that He is good. I can look at Broccoli and tell you that it is not good. It is good for you, but I am not crazy about the taste.  I know because I have tasted it.  But somewhere in my early childhood, someone gave me chocolate and created a monster. I can tell you that M&M’s are very good. Hershey’s Kisses are very good. I have tasted them and they are good, but they are not good for me. I find it interesting that foods that taste so good are not good for us. I imagine a heaven where chocolate is health food and Broccoli is bad for you. But maybe by the time I get up there I will be so busy feasting on the Holy Spirit that I won’t need physical food.

But, I can’t get too much Jesus.  Jesus leaves me feeling protected, comforted, refreshed. He gives me strength and power when I feel weak and allows me to run and not grow weary (Isaiah 40:29).  He makes me unafraid because with Him I am protected. He uplifts me and holds me by His righteous hand (Isaiah 41:10). If He is for me, who can be against me (Romans 8:31)?  He has good plans for me (Jeremiah 29:11).  I love Him and do what He calls me to do, therefore, He works all things out for my good (Romans 8:28). I could go on and on telling you about how good God is, but you will not believe it until you experience it.

If you have never tasted the Lord, you owe it to yourself to do so. But don’t half-heartedly nibble, take a big bite and see how good He is. Savor the goodness. When you truly give your all to Jesus, you won’t be able to get enough of Him.  When you realize the mercy, grace, protection, peace, and joy that He offers, you won’t want to be without it.

Let me tell you that I just love the taste of chocolate, Dr. Pepper, Cheetos, and Hot Fudge Sundaes, but if I tried to exist on a diet with those things I would be in terrible shape.  I can do without those things, but I cannot do without Jesus. I can never get enough of Him, and He is so good for me . I ask you to join in me and share my addiction to my Lord and Savior.  Being addicted to Him is better than anything else I have ever experienced. Whatever food, alcohol, cigarettes, or any other drug can do for you, believe me He can do so much more.  He can fill that void in your life with His Holy Spirit. So, I am begging you today, try Him.  He is good. If He is what we crave, then we can’t go wrong.  No matter how much Jesus I have I am always eager to say, “more please”. I can’t get enough, and if you truly taste Him you will be just as addicted.

Have a great day!