Skip to main content

Psalm 34 - SL

Psalm 34 - Taste! and See!

Songs:
Psalm 34 - Shane and Shane
Rhythms of Grace - Hillsong United

v.9 Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints,
    for those who fear him have no lack! v.14 Turn away from evil and do good;
    seek peace and pursue it.
v. 19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
    but the Lord delivers him out of them all.


These three verses stood out to me. I wanted to really dive deep into what it meant (this time around, as I read it) what it meant to "taste" and to "see". That's why I put separate exclamation points in my title. It's easy for me to lump the phrase together as an aphorism. I find myself thinking and realizing that I need to break down these phrases because I have grown too accustomed to them. I can understand what it means to "taste and see that the Lord is good," but I want to live it out and appreciate every aspect of it. 

To taste that the Lord is good: verse 9. To taste this, I want to fear the Lord...and have no lack. Yet, I've had complaints and a self-centered/self-criticizing heart this past week, and I think it stems from not truly fearing GOD. I haven't kept God in awe and reverence. 

To see that the Lord is good: verse 14. To see this, I know I am commanded and encouraged to seek peace and to turn away from evil. Yet, it's so easy to fall sin and stay there. I think...when I seek rhythm, I'm prone to take it when I can. Sometimes though, rhythm and discipline isn't for God. This reminds me of the phrase I hear from Ekko - Rhythms of Grace. 

Verse 19 sums it up, that as many the afflictions are, if I continue to seek and to actually taste & see that the Lord is good (present, here, alive, well, and powerful), then I will have deliverance and time will not be a factor. 

I pray that I may try to stray away from my own self and to pursue God with open eyes of fear and wonder. May I see that it is worthwhile to follow God's footsteps and godly disciplines, not just any discipline. I hope that I can seek God's righteousness and live a God-centered lifestyle. 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Psalm 15 - SL

Psalm 15 - Righteous Manners v.2 "He who walks blamelessly ... and speaks truth in his heart..." v.4 "in whose eyes a vile person is despised..." v.5 "...He who does these things shall never be moved." A short psalm that speaks truth into what it takes to dwell on God's Holy Hill - or as I have put it - a psalm that speaks to righteous manners. This was a short list of Does and Does Nots, and then ends with a factual saying the one who acts in these ways won't be moved from that holy place. It was both a good refresher to read and fairly hard to digest because I don't pass the standards that I want to be passing. I know I don't walk blamelessly, and as much as I can put a check-mark on many of the other aspects, I am not satisfied - and I will not be satisfied/complacent - with not realizing a full and fruitful lifestyle. It's been easier for me to be okay with certain actions and thought processes because I am yoked by people w...
1 comment
Read more

Psalm 12 - Juliano

Psalm 12 6 And the words of the Lord are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, like gold refined seven times. Even though it was not the point of the psalm, this passage really stood out to me. I had received an imagery like this before a long time ago. During one of the Ekklesias years ago, someone had a word for me like this before I went to start art school. That God would polish me like gold. I had an idea of what that meant, but it does seem to carry more meaning now. My younger self thought that I "already experienced all". That "what else can I experience that is new?". Unconciously that is. That's when the part it says "gold refined seven times" stood out to me. Realizing that refinement it's not a one go process. My sort of personality likes to get the hard part stuff first out of the way. And I always felt like going through the hard process for the "investment of the future" was always the right move. T...
Post a Comment
Read more

Psalm 15

who keeps an oath  even when it hurts,      and does not change their mind; 5  who lends money to the poor without interest;      who does not accept a bribe  against the innocent. ------ Shucks, I missed the deadline... Got caught up with some business that kept me out until now.. sigh... anyways... In light of today's message, I feel like this is super powerful. For me, the hardest part has been the keeping an oath part. I was the one who always tried to look out for myself, even if that meant sometimes not keeping my word. It's funny though because it's not like they were blatant betrayals, but like Sung said, some of those sticky situations where I'd have to ask "well, is this really that serious?" Today's message I think helps us become more like the traits the Psalmist wrote. Having a holistic view of redemption and what the Cross means for us will better equip us with the tools to live the way the Psalmist said. ---- L...
2 comments
Read more