At some point, theory needs to give way to reality. You can practice all you want, but the thrill comes from getting in the game. You can plate the finest meal, but if you really want to enjoy it, you need to chow down. And when it comes to Christianity, it’s not so much about a religion to be debated but a relationship to be experienced . . .

Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!   (Psalm 34:8 ESV)

The note in my Bible says that David wrote Psalm 34 after a close call . . . a narrow escape. David’s on the run from Saul. Saul is out to kill David. And David flees to Gath and finds himself in the midst of the Philistines . . . in particular before the king, or “the Abimilech”, of Gath, a ruler by the name of Achish. David is recognized by the servants of Achish . . . his reputation as a warrior and slayer of the Philistines precedes him . . . and the king is warned . . . and David’s in big trouble. And so, in an act of desperation, David “changed his behavior” and pretended to be insane . . . “he pretended to go crazy, pounding his head on the city gate and foaming at the mouth, spit dripping from his beard” (MSG). And rather than execute this enemy of the Philistines, Achish sees only a madman . . . dismisses him as a lunatic and tells his servants to get him out of his sight (1Sam.21:10-15). David flees . . . ends up in a cave in Adullam . . . and maybe there, pens this Psalm. Whew!!! . . . delivered . . . oh taste and see that the Lord is good!

That was David’s taste. A desperate situation . . . a feeble human effort . . . but a great God of deliverance. David had no choice but to “get out of the boat and walk on the water” . . . nothing left to do but cry to the Lord . . . nowhere else to look but up. Perhaps not the most manly of escape plans . . . but one that was wholly dependant on God’s intervention before an enemy king. And in that situation, the theory of God as deliverer gives way to reality . . . the promise that God hears the cry of the righteous proves to be true (34:17) . . . the teaching that the angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him (34: 7), translates into walking out of Gath unscathed. Not until such a “taste”, is the presence and the goodness of the LORD so known. Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.

Fact be known, I’d rather not be in the crucible . . . I’d rather avoid desperate situations . . . I’d just as soon pass on being helpless. But it’s there, when the thirst is the greatest and the hunger is the most intense, that goodness of God is the most experienced . . . “The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit” (34:18).

Faith is the taste . . . without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6) . . . and sometimes it takes those desperate situations to take that step of faith . . . and experience, up close and personal, the goodness of God. But I don’t need to wait for the crisis . . . I can trust in the Lord with all my heart in all things . . . I can acknowledge Him in all ways . . . and, in so doing, know the reality of the God’s faithfulness . . . enjoy 24/7 His abiding presence . . . experience the thrill of walking together with Him . . . of knowing, experientially knowing, just how good the LORD is.

The theory giving way to reality . . . by His grace . . . for His glory . . .