Hi, again! I confess today that I am very tired - not feeling very rested. That's when I can get either very grumpy or very giddy. My husband says the secret to his peace is to keep me 'well-fed and rested.' Now you know the story behind my blog name.
Anyway, today's verse is:
Taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man (or woman - my addition) who takes refuge in him. Psalm 34:8.
Again, we see both food (taste) and rest combined. Very interesting. Is a 'taste test' needed by you? Do you need to sense (taste is a sensation, right?) something new or different about God?
Refuge is rest, isn't it? How is the Lord our refuge? I know he's sheltered me on many occasions - given me peace in the midst of chaos. How about you?
What do you think?
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7 comments:
For me, refuge / shelter is about getting away from the barrage of senses that we encounter from day to day. I am not saying that it's about hiding in a dark cave completely void of sensory experience- but what I love, where I find my rest, is when I can just focus on one thing. "Still waters" "quiet streams" or just green grass, a beautiful sunset (you know I am not a morning person...) Rest and refugre is about stepping away from sensory overload.
So much of theological education today is an intellectual approach to knowing God by understanding His word. However, we would never settle for only knowing more facts about our spouses than others do. We desire to experience love, which involves our mind, emotions and will. When the Psalmist tells us to taste and see, he tells us that it is ok for us to experience the love of God. Knowing God is both head knowledge and heart knowledge. I like that a lot!
Erin (Matt's Erin) Here. If the Lord is my rock, its funny how we use certain words to describe the Lord. Rocks can leave you feeling uncomfortable, especially when you've been sitting on one too long! Maybe that is why we are not to sit for too long, but get up and do something! In response to Howard's comment, its true that more facts won't do the real good God intended them for. Use Me to rest, and also on your feet :)
"Taste and see that the Lord is good" reminds of of the expression "Try it; you'll like it". My mother used to say that about our vitamin syrup, about new foods, about new experiences! Sometimes I did like them, and other times I did not! But if you try the Lord; you will like Him!
As I write, it is September 11th, six years after the terrorist attack. As I rushed to the World Trade Center site on that day six years ago, it seemed that there was no refuge. Rumors of phone calls from pockets in the ground abounded, but were all false. Yet for those who trusted in the Lord, there was a real refuge, an enduring refuge. They were taken to be with Him that day.
I have found the Lord to be a real refuge in my life. When I have had problems, large or small, I have always had Him to turn to. He has not always provided an easy answer or miraculously solved problems for me, but He has been there and I could turn to Him for rest.
I too am writing on September 11th. At the time of the attacks I was stationed in the Washington DC area. I was home sick that day with a summer cold/flu that would not go away. It was a beautiful, warm and sunny day. I was sitting on the back deck with a cup of tea reading proof pages unaware of all the mayhem going on at the Pentagon just a few short miles away.
When I finally saw 15 messages blinking on my phone, I knew something had to be wrong - and when I turned on the TV I found out what!
Today, on the other hand is dark, dreary and rainy. I am now retired in the mountains of Pennsylvania with much more time to reflect than when I was a working woman.
But one thing remains constant - the abiding peace I have in Christ. In sunshine or rain, conflict or harmony, busy or resting the possibility of God's peace is mine for the taking. I have learned it is my choice to be harried or calm, angry or forgiving, in conflict or harmony. It is all in how I respond to the pressures and joys of life. I can respond as the world does or I can adopt for myself the concept of Sabbath rest for each day.
Thanks, everybody. I feel rested just reading your comments. I, too, think about 9/11/01 - that day was definitely sensory overload. Yet, in midst of all the chaos & confusion, darkness & death - some beauty arose as people reached out to one another -became each other's refuge - in a way.
We were living in Canada and were so amazed and touched when so many reached out to us as Americans. I still get tears in my eyes.
Karen - you're right, too. Sometimes we are bombarded with sensations and we need to just escape it - focus as a means- yes, I think so, too. great thought. Thanks.
Hi, Erin. Thanks for joining in. You're singing my song when you talk about getting up and doing something - YES!
After all, we get a taste, like what we taste and enjoy a great meal! God is like that - a banquet all the time, but we've got to dig in and actually start feasting!
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