Of all the human senses, sight is the one most of us take for granted. From the moment we open our eyes in the morning, we expect to see the world. And of all the human senses, taste is the one we savor, the one where we become keenly aware of the blandness, the tartness, the spiciness, the sweetness of the world.
Consider now how we encounter God through an awareness of what it means to taste and see the wonder in the world.
This poor soul cried, and was heard by the Lord, and was saved from every trouble.
The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.
O taste and see that the Lord is good; happy are those who take refuge in him.
Psalm 34:1-5
A cry of fear is one most of us recognize. We can feel and almost taste the writer’s terror if we close our eyes and think of times in our own lives when we have been overcome by fear. But imagine an angel — not the kind with wings who flutters above us on a cloud, but perhaps one of those angels in human form — sent from God at just the right moment to help us when we are most afraid.
At first, “taste” might seem an odd word to describe how the psalmist feels after being rescued from fear, but the writer understands that if we savor those moments of feeling God near us, we grow stronger. And in those moments when dread and doubt return, it becomes easier to seek God and know that refuge and safety are as close as a prayer.
Estelene Boratenski
O God of refuge, help me to taste and see, to remember that you hear every prayer. Amen.
Go now to taste and see
The presence of God and
The goodness of God.
Free all your senses to feel
The grace and mercy that is
Everywhere God abides.