“O taste and see that the Lord is good; happy are those who take refuge in God.” Psalm 34:8
Sometimes food tastes especially good. Hiking on a long trail is one of them. Weary muscles are really hungry. On the C&O towpath Chester is hungry for a hard-boiled egg and carrots. I am hungry for a peanut butter sandwich, a chocolate trail bar, and an apple. Chester shares his carrots with me and I give him my apple core. It tastes wonderful. Another time food tastes really good is when I am on a silent prayer retreat. The community sits at tables together, but we eat silently and prayerfully—paying attention to God’s presence in the moment. It’s surprising how delicious good food can be when one is concentrating on it, being grateful for the ones who cooked it, the ones who grew it. Unfortunately, I can often be found eating while reading, typing emails, watching TV, talking or any number of activities where I am too busy to notice the tastes, textures and goodness of the food. So now when I hear these words of the psalmist, “Taste and see that the Lord is good,” I reflect on these two circumstances where food tastes so good to me and try to transfer that into my faith life. I understand how hungry my “spiritual muscles” are for the encouragement and nourishment that comes from God’s word, for the Lord’s communion meal and for God’s faithful presence. And secondly I think of how grateful I could be for the delicious, rich blessings that are around me daily if I will only stop for a minute, notice and appreciate them.
Suggestions:
- Dedicate a meal today or tomorrow to noticing your food and what it tastes like. If you are eating with someone, bring them into the project too. Notice textures, colors, smells, temperatures. How does it look on the plate? Can you imagine where it was grown and might that be a place you would like to visit someday? (A banana farm? A shrimp boat? A pecan orchard?) Who cooked it? If you do the cooking, do you enjoy doing it and why? If you are with someone, talk about memorable meals in your lives. At the conclusion of the meal, give thanks to God for the good and nourishing blessings you have received.
2. Or read all of Psalm 34 to discover how this verse fits into the psalm.
3. Or comment with a photo of your own that illustrates the verse’s meaning for you.
Tomorrow’s verse: Psalm 35:5
Starting January 1, 2016, for 150 days I am posting a daily psalm verse with a photo that is a visual meditation on the text for me. Each day a verse from the next psalm is chosen until all 150 psalms have been featured. To participate you may subscribe to my blog at https://elainedent.net or “friend” me on Facebook and watch for the daily links to blog posts. Disclaimer: I am not a photographer and most of the photos are from a cell phone or small camera while hiking the Appalachian Trail or the C&O Canal/Great Allegheny Passage Trail.
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