Tasting and Seeing

I find it funny that this morning as I sat down to pray, I was reminded of the way our dog waits to eat her food.  She waits until I eat my food, usually lunch or dinner, because she knows that I will give her a bite of whatever I am eating, so she waits patiently (most of the time) knowing that she will get some tasty morsel from me.  She is always optimistic about my eating, believing that I will always share something with her. I usually take a small bite, cut it up into little bits and drop it onto her dog food, and then she eats it all. 

So why did this image pop into my mind a I sat down to pray?  I guess it is a quaint picture of my heart towards the Lord in prayer.  I am always optimistic that He will share something with me, something that will increase my appetite for His word, for His interaction, for my relationship with Him.  I am reminded of Psalm 34:8 NIV: "Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him."

The Hebrew word for taste is taam, and its defined as: to taste, perceive

The Hebrew word translated see is raah, which is defined as follows: see, compare, expect 

I look at these words to better understand the fullness of their meaning, for often times our English translation just captures one aspect and doesn't provide all the nuances.  The word taam, is more that just tasting, it has to do with perceiving, as in studying and understanding.  I am reminded of the wine sommelier, who tastes the wine, swirls the wine, examines the bouquet of the wine, and lets the wine linger on their tongue and senses, picking out each flavor profile.  Those that are experts can identify the grape, the year it was harvested and even the vineyard at times.   As one spends more time with wine, their ability to understand and differentiate individual flavors and taste profiles becomes more acute especially if they are instructed as to how to do so.  

In the same way, our ability to truly see comes from practice and engagement.  I can almost hear my my Mom say, "don't just look at it!"  The point she was making is that I needed to engage my mind and actually pay attention.  If we are going to see and compare, we need to engage our mind... we need to really look at something, and in this case its the Lord!  When bank tellers are trained how to identify counterfeits, they are primarily trained with authentic money, the feel, the smell, the texture, the ink, the paper composition, etc.  They spend so much time with the authentic that their ability to identify the false is heightened.  Again, the more time we spend practicing to truly see, to compare, the better we are at understanding.  An art expert is able to identify an authentic painting because they are familiar with the brushes used, the pallet, even the brush strokes of the painter.  They have studied and compared, and know what to expect!

When we engage with the Lord, we are encouraged to look at His word, study it and familiarize ourselves with all of it.  When we do, we start to see the goodness of the Lord in much greater depth.  If we engage and allow His Word to roll around in our minds and hearts, perceiving the nuances of love, compassion, mercy, forgiveness, and grace, we will start to taste and see the richness and depth of His Word in our lives.  

As I reflect over my years of engagement with the Lord in my quiet times, I am amazed at how much I have learned, how many times He has spoken directly to my heart, provided instruction and insights that I have never seen before.  I have sampled the writing of others that have gone down similar paths and it is always encouraging to see what the Lord has shown them, to hear how they have encountered Him, but I always come away with a sense that my relationship and interaction with Him is unique to me!  I am not someone special in the world, but I am special to the Lord!  Just as each of us is special to Him, for He knows us and loves us, each uniquely!

Every day, I look forward to my times with the Lord, for I expect that He will speak, that He will instruct, and reveal!  There are times, where I will just rest in His presence, sometimes I will feel it strongly and other times its just the comfort of quietness.  Regardless, the richness of my experience tells me that there is always more to discover and more to experience, and the Lord is always drawing me deeper in Him.

I always liken my relationship with my sweetheart as an example of a committed deepening relationship.  I have been married 38+ years, and I am still getting to know my lover, discovering new things about her, find her engaging and surprising and lovely!  I don't believe I will ever stop growing in my knowledge of her, and if this is true of a human to human relationship, how much more true must it be of a relationship with the Lord?

This morning I am encouraged to taste and see, to perceive, to compare, to expect that the Lord will meet me, will speak to me and will love me in some new way!  It might be the smallest nuance, the lightest taste of something new, but it worth my time to really look, to examine and to let His word roll about in my mind and heart!  Sometimes, later in the day, a moment of clarity will come, after His word has marinated in my heart and mind all day!  I love how He reveals His goodness in countless ways!

My dog loves those little additional bits of flavor that I add to her food, so much so that she waits expectantly, sometimes for hours.  My prayer is that we might all experience the Lord pseaking to us in unique and rich ways, and that we might meet with Him daily, expecting Him to reveal new things, new tastes and new visions!

Amen!