Psalm 34: Taste and See

4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.

What freedom! To be able to just look to the Lord and come away radiant and unashamed. I have so much to be ashamed of, and it is the nature of the Christian to feel some kind of virtue in having our sin in the front of our minds. Maybe for a fraction of a second it is virtuous, but if we will turn to the Lord, we do not have to be ashamed! In fact, we SHOULDN'T be ashamed. If we are constantly ashamed and downcast in spirit maybe we are ridiculously self-centered. If we are focused on Christ (who he is and what he has done for us) we will be radiant and our faces will never be ashamed!

8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!

19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.

22 The Lord redeems the life of his servants; none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.

Help me, Lord, to continually get a taste of you, and you will always prove to be good! Refresh me with your living water daily so that I can teach my children and show those all around me that, (in the words of TobyMac) "you can't see it with an untrained eye, but if you take some time you are sure to find it, we complicate something so basic, but once you taste, you gon' chase it like me!"

I need you, Lord. I need your refuge. Help me to be ready for the afflictions that you promise will come. But show me always that you deliver your people. You never leave us. I will not be condemned!