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

Imagine being on a tropical island, the ocean breeze gently blowing as you relax on the deck of a seaside restaurant. It’s evening, the stars fill the sky and sweet strains of island music fill the air you as dine on freshly prepared seafood garnished with lemony spices. Through the course of the meal you enjoy the frothiness of exotic beverages. The meal concludes with as scrumptious assortment of fruit laden desserts, coconut and freshly whipped cream. Ah… the sensation is so vivid in your mind you can taste it. My friends, such is the grace of God.

In his first epistle to the Church, Peter cites the psalmist and begs the church to “taste and see that the Lord is good” (1 Peter 2:2-3). Like a newborn baby develops a taste for its mother’s milk which feeds and nourishes the body, so too the people of God must develop a taste for God’s word which feeds and nourishes the spirit and faith.

When Peter says “the word that was announced to you” he means especially all the prophecies and promises concerning the Christ which are fulfilled through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Through the living Word that is Christ Jesus, God saves his people. No longer does evil have power over God’s children; no longer can the grave imprison the bodies of the faithful. Christ has triumphed! And so the sweet refrain is sung by those redeemed by God’s grace, “Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ shall come again!”

As the psalmist reminds us, the Lord is so good. God comes to our rescue, delivers us from our fears and brings us into his everlasting kingdom. The sweetness of God’s love and assurance of his promises are made certain through Christ our Lord. God’s Word is the healing balm for all doubt and fear. Even in the face of evil, the Lord blesses those who call upon his name and sing his praise. The Lord listens and hears as the poor cry out and the hungry beg to be fed. And so it is true, God prepares his table and gathers the faithful for the banquet of heaven.

Oh taste and see that the Lord is good!