AUGUST '24

 

"Taste & see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him." -Psalm 34:8

TASTING

"Taste & see that the Lord is good..."

The fruits and veggies that our earth produces, taste best when they are "in season."  One of the things I love about summer is the fresh fruits and veggies from a garden or farmers market.

Bible scholar Kristi McClelland talks in her podcast Pearls about how Jewish children are introduced to the word of God.  The Rabbi will take honey from the honeycomb and go visit kindergarten classes.  The children will dip their finger in the honey and raise it to their mouth.  As they are tasting it, the Rabbi will tell them "this is what the word of God tastes like."

(She tells it better than I do, so I encourage you to listen to it here.  She starts talking about the honey around minute 10).

The word taste in Psalm 34:8 literally means to "taste or perceive." Like the other times it is used in the Old Testament it is speaking of consuming food or examining something for it's taste. 

What does God's word taste like to you?

REFUGE

"...blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him"

According to the Blue Letter Bible, the word refuge here means "seek refuge, flee for protection, put trust in God, confide in or hope in God." 

The thing that keeps ringing through my mind with this portion of the verse is prayer.

Prayer is never out of season.  

Several years ago I had the privilege of hearing Gary Hugen speak in an arena full of college kids.  Hugen is the CEO of an organization called International Justice Mission, IJM for short.  They work to bring people out of modern day slavery.  Gary shared a story on the power of prayer that has stuck with me.  This is a true story.

IJM works in countries all over the world.  They have people on the front lines that do the actual rescue, people who are trained in trauma to provide immediate/ongoing care for the ones rescued, and people in the court system that fight for justice on behalf of the enslaved.

There was a group of women who were being held in a cage.  Every time they were together in that cage together they prayed to Allah (their Muslim god) to rescue them.  I don't know how long this went on- weeks, months, years?  They didn't relent- they continued to cry out over and over again with no evidence of freedom in sight.  Then one night, one of the women remembered that she had heard of a God named Jesus.  They talked about it and decided to try Jesus.  I mean at this point, nothing could make their situation any worse.  So that night instead of Allah, they cried out to the "God named Jesus."  They prayed that if He was real He would come and set them free.

THE NEXT MORNING...

IJM successfully completed a rescue operation in that area.  (The operations like this take months & months to plan).  IJM broke open their cage and told these women, "We are here because Jesus sent us.  He is the One true God and He wants to set you free."

WHATTTTTTTTT!?!?!?!  

I still get chills remembering this story.  

Prayer doesn't always break open a literal cage like it did for these women, but it always does SOMETHING.  There is so much happening right now: in the world, in our country, in our city, in the church, in my family, & in my own heart.  Yet, we are never helpless.  We can & should ALWAYS pray.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:6-7

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” - Matthew 11:28-30

"Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.  And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God." - Romans 8:26-27

The world may be in chaos, but our Jesus is not.  He is good - in season, out of season, whatever season.  Taste and see that He is good.  He is ready and willing to help you in your need, whatever it is- He is in it with you.  You are not alone.  Even if you feel like you're in the dark- the dark doesn't overcome His light.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. - John 1:1-5

I really loved painting these veggies.  I have a precious friend who is also an artist.  She is an oil painter.  She sells tea towels, totes, and prints with seasonal produce for each state.  I encourage you to check them out here: State by State Seasonal Produce  All her stuff is beautiful, so just look through her whole website :)

RESOURCES

If you're looking for a guide to pray each day, I highly recommend subscribing to the Joshua Project.  They send out a snapshot of a people group each day that has not yet heard the gospel.  You can subscribe to emails, or an app, etc.  There are lots of ways to get involved here.

As mentioned in the post, check out International Justice Mission.  They are doing great work of setting people free.  Another great organization to look into is The A21 Campaign.

Also, the Voice of the Martyrs is another great resource.  They support and advocate for the persecuted church.