Test Him

"Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him" Psalm 34:8

We've all seen those blind comparison commercials.  You know the ones I'm talking about? They put their product up against a "leading competitor" and they ask you to try them out.  And, of course, in the commercials, they always pick  the one they are selling. Of course we can thank some creative editing on their part for this.

But the point is, whether it's a search engine test, a soft drink test, a razor or a shampoo, there is a common theme. The owners of the product have so much faith in their product that they are willing to put it to the test to compare it with everything else because they are sure they will come out on top. In other words, they have great faith in their product. 

In a way that's what David suggests in this Psalm. "Taste and see that the Lord is good." In other words I believe God is so good I'm not even going to try to convince you about His goodness. Try Him out. Test Him. Examine His goodness. See what He can do.

This seems to be a major theme in David's faith.  It certainly is one He revisits time and time again in the Psalms. Put God to the test, David writes.  Taste and see His goodness.  He almost dares the reader to test God. He dares us to explore the limits of the limitless God of love, power and grace. David's faith that God is more than able to prove His Goodness is unshakable.

Now I know the more astute of you will be thinking. "Wait a minute. Doesn't the Bible say not to put the Lord God to a test?"  (Deuteronomy 6:16)?  Yes it does. But in that instance, God is drawing a comparison  to a willful child who keeps pushing the boundaries to see how much he can get away with before he is punished. God doesn't want us to be obedient because we are afraid of getting punished, but because we have found peace and satisfaction in a life of obedience.

As I look at the church today, I don't think our problem is that we don't test God.  I think it's that we don't test Him enough. Oh, we test Him plenty in the sense of Deuteronomy. We push the boundaries trying to see what we can get away with. We still struggle with obedience that arises out of guilt and an obedience that arises out of love and passion.

But what we don't do enough is test God the way David suggests.  If we did, we probably wouldn't struggle with the Deuteronomy passage. Taste and see that the Lord is good. Listen to Him. Follow Him. Obey His commands and then see if you are happier. Are you more satisfied? Is life making more sense? If God is good, it will.

But we also don't test Him out in faith enough. This is the God who created the universe and who, by His Spirit, does all the miracles in the book of Acts. So why are we so afraid to believe he can actually move in our lives? Why do we not pray with boldness, expecting God to move and act? We fill our prayer lives with loopholes and second guesses. "Help me Oh God. But, of course, if You do not, I understand."  I have a hard time seeing David pray this way. He knew God is good. He knew we could pray with boldness.

So what about you? Are you willing to take the most important test of all? Test Him. Taste and see that the Lord is good.  Put Him to the test.  Pray and live in faith and boldness. See what God can do with your life.

In Christ,
Dr. Brian Jones <><