Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! (Psalm 34:8)
You walk off the 9th green and head to the grill. It’s time to grab something to eat and drink at the turn. Before you tackle the back nine, you need to refuel.
These days, there are many options to choose from — healthy snacks, candy, chips, sandwiches, and the list goes on. Stand in front of the drink cooler and scan the selections — soda, sports drinks, beer, water, and the list goes on and on. What’s your go-to turn food?
If we polled the roughly 25 million golfers in the country, surely the majority would answer that there’s nothing better at the turn than a golf course hot dog and an icy Coca-Cola.
There’s just something about a golf course hot dog that hits the spot. Is it the condiments? The fresh-chopped onions? The house-made chili? Or is it that steamed bun?
The first bite comes before you leave the counter. The following bites come as you lean out of the cart to avoid the dreaded golf shirt mustard stain. The final bite awaits your return to the cart after you hit the tee shot on #10.
Then that cold Coke washes it all down. “Man, that was a good hot dog!” Surely, the hot dog and Coke reign as royalty of golf course food during a round of golf.
Food at the turn is so, so good, yet there’s something far better to taste.
In Psalm 34, King David is celebrating God’s protection over him as he fled from the threats of King Achish of Gath (see 1 Samuel 21). He acknowledges God’s kindness toward him once again (see 1 Samuel 13; 16–21).
Thus, the language of Psalm 34 edifies and glorifies God, as David fully knows it was the Lord who watched over him as Saul and Achish approached. One of his statements of praise is absolutely true and is often neglected when we walk through adversity or hardship.
“Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!” Psalm 34:8
Such a simple and profound declaration from King David, who knew it firsthand. The verbs taste and see are both experiential and imperative.
What this means, as a follower of Christ, is that you can experience the goodness of God and be reminded of His goodness from a place of suffering. We would confess that this is difficult to do.
As Andrew Wilson puts it, “God is good, but never experiencing His goodness is as useless as knowing the definition of milk and never drinking it.”
David gives us a command to taste and see God’s goodness, but only after you experience His goodness will you be able to know it firsthand (see vv. 19, 22).
David gives examples of this in Psalm 34. God has delivered him from fear and worry (v. 4), provided for his need countless times (v. 10), and never been distant or silent during David’s trials (v. 15).
As you look back over your life, you can see and have experienced God’s goodness during your own trials. You can remember those moments when fear, worry, and anxiousness dominated your heart and mind.
And once you got on the other side of it all, you knew God was good all through it, just as David did in Psalm 34.
May this psalm encourage us to reflect on the Lord’s goodness, even when days are hard and overwhelming.
Prayer: Father, when my heart is weary and broken, help me taste and see Your goodness. Amen.