Good Morning Sunshine! Thank You God For My Tastebuds!

Psalm 34:8 (NIV) – “Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.”

The table of God’s provision is never meant to end at survival; it leads you to the banquet of His Presence. Yesterday, you stood with Elijah and the widow, witnessing the miracle of jars and jugs that never ran dry. That miracle pointed you forward, but today, the Spirit invites you deeper, into a more intimate encounter with God Himself. Psalm 34:8 is not simply an invitation to observe; it is a call to experience God in a personal, undeniable way.

Think about your taste buds for a moment. These tiny, unseen receptors play a huge role in how you experience food. They help you know what is sweet, sour, salty, or bitter. Without them, food would simply fill your stomach but never bring delight. They help you enjoy what is good; and warn you when something is off. In the same way, God has given you spiritual “taste buds.” Just as physical taste buds awaken your senses to enjoy food, spiritual taste awakens your soul to enjoy God’s Presence. When the psalmist says, “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8), this is an invitation to go beyond knowing about God to experiencing Him fully. Like taste buds that tell you when something is sweet or bitter touches your tongue, the Spirit of God alerts your heart to what is nourishing and what is harmful. Every time you lean into His Presence, your spiritual taste grows sharper. And just as a good meal satisfies hunger, so the goodness of God satisfies your soul.

Now you should see taste in a different light, oh to taste and see is to move beyond knowledge into an encounter. Knowledge says, “I believe God is good.” Encounter says, “I have experienced His goodness for myself.” The difference is profound. Provision may point you to Him, but His Presence allows you to taste the richness of who He is. David penned these words in a season where he had fled danger, hidden in caves, and lived on the run. His proclamation was not birth in comfort but in chaos. And yet, from a place of hiding, he declared, “Oh, taste and see.” The goodness of God is not confined to seasons of plenty; it is revealed most deeply in times of need.

Taste is personal. No one can taste for you. You may hear testimonies of God’s goodness, but until you taste Him for yourself, the experience remains secondhand. David wanted his readers to encounter God personally, to savor His Presence like bread on the tongue, sweet and sustaining. Seeing flows from tasting. When you taste His goodness, your spiritual eyes open to see His hand at work. Suddenly, the oil that hasn’t run dry is not just a resource, it’s a revelation. The prayer He answered is not just a solution; it’s a sign of His nearness. The provision becomes proof of His Presence!

When David says, “Blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him,” he points you to the true result of tasting God’s goodness and security in His Presence. Refuge means more than a hiding place; it is safety, shelter, and peace. To take refuge in Him is to say, “God is my portion, my protector, and my provider.” This verse is the bridge between the jars and jugs that sustained you yesterday. Today, God says, “I am your portion. I am the bread you taste. I am the living water you drink. I am your covering.” The miracle has shifted from what you have to who you have, and you have God!

Think of it like being invited to a feast. You can admire the table, see the spread, and even acknowledge how beautiful it looks. But until you sit down, pick up the bread, and taste it, you haven’t truly experienced the feast. God is inviting you today not just to admire Him from a distance but to taste His goodness up close. The invitation to taste and see is also an invitation to trust. You cannot taste without opening your mouth. You cannot see without opening your eyes. Trust opens you up to experience God’s Presence in ways you have never known before.

Maybe you’ve been content with surviving on yesterday’s miracle, holding tight to jars and jugs. But today, the Spirit is saying, “Come taste. Come see. Come into My Presence.” What sustained you yesterday was meant to prepare you for a deeper revelation for today. God is calling you to shift from gratitude for provision to delight in His Presence. Provision fills you for a moment; but His Presence satisfies you forever. Provision quiets your hunger temporarily; but His Presence is the bread of life that never leaves you empty! This is why Jesus said in John 6:35, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” The jars and jugs were a shadow; Jesus is the substance. The widow fed Elijah, but God feeds you with Himself.

Today, let Psalm 34:8 be your prayer and your proclamation. Don’t just admire the feast. Taste it! Don’t just acknowledge God’s goodness. Experience it! Open your heart to His Presence and discover that He is better than bread, better than oil, better than any provision you have or can get! He is your refuge, your portion, and your satisfaction. And in that you will be full!

Let’s Pray:

Father, thank You for inviting me to taste and see that You are good. Thank You for moving me from jars and jugs into Your very Presence, where I can encounter You in a deeper way. Lord, I confess that sometimes I’ve been content just to admire Your goodness from a distance, hearing about it through others but not fully experiencing it for myself. Today, I open my heart to taste, to see, and to know You personally. I thank You for every provision that has sustained me, but I declare today that I will not stop at provision. I long for Your Presence, for You are my bread of life and my living water. Father, just as You were with David in the caves and Elijah at the widow’s house, be with me in every hidden place. Let me encounter You not just in abundance but in the midst of lack, not just in comfort but in the middle of challenges. Teach me to trust You enough to open my mouth and taste, to open my eyes and see. Remove every fear, every doubt, every hesitation that keeps me from fully stepping into Your Presence. Thank You, Lord, that Your goodness is not confined to one season. It is unchanging, constant, and everlasting. When I taste of You, I taste of eternity. When I see You, I see beyond my circumstances into the glory of who You are. Father, I take refuge in You today, Lord. I declare that You are my shelter, my covering, my protector, and my provider. I do not run to resources for refuge; I run to You. You are my safety and my strength. Father, let this week be marked not just by provision but by Your Presence. Let me encounter You in my prayers, in my worship, in my daily steps. Let every part of my life be flavored by the sweetness of Your Presence. Thank You, Lord, for inviting me to Your table. Thank You for the blessing of tasting Your goodness and seeing Your faithfulness. May I never settle for anything less than You. In the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen!

Nugget: “Provision may fill you for a moment, but His Presence will satisfy you forever and ever.”

Blessings…

Love, Dr. Jean