The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous,
and his ears are attentive to their cry;
but the face of the LORD is against those who do evil,
to blot out their name from the earth.The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.The righteous person may have many troubles,
but the LORD delivers him from them all;
he protects all his bones,
not one of them will be broken.Evil will slay the wicked;
the foes of the righteous will be condemned.
The LORD will rescue his servants;
no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned. (Psalm 34:15–22 NIV)
“Remember that God is good toward all that accept His goodness.”
—A. W. Tozer
Psalm 34 contains one of the most winsome invitations written to come and know the God of redemption: “Taste and see that the LORD is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!” (34:8 NLT). This endearing invitation is easy to communicate in our speech and writing, but more powerfully, it can be an experience felt by all those with whom we share our lives. Our soul-deep belief that the Lord is infinitely good can be evident in every action, every choice, and even in the words that come from our mouths.
We gain this solid confidence through our living union with Jesus and his Holy Spirit. Our certainty in his continual presence assures us that no aspect of our life is too big or too small for the Savior’s concern. The Psalmist who invites us to “taste” God’s goodness doesn’t speak in the abstract; he encourages our souls with assurance in the course of our daily human concerns. God does not abandon his people in a world gone astray: “The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry.” We do not spend our prayer time pouring out our sorrows, our concerns for overcoming the challenges before us: “The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.” We are not left alone to find ways to heal our broken hearts: “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
As these promises become our personal assurances, the person who the world sees changes. All of us will have challenges in our lives, big and small, but one of the greatest demonstrations we can make of our confidence in the risen Lord is our trust that we don’t face these challenges alone. Our King is concerned about our lives. Our King is active in addressing these challenges, in strengthening our resolve to face them, and even giving us the patience to endure them. These are not promises we read from the pages of our Bible; these are trusts that grow as the relationship with Jesus gains depth. “We know” goes from head to heart. I know these promises to be true in my soul because I have experienced these for myself, and this changes the life I live in public view, for the better. “Know” to “known” invites those who we live our lives with to “taste and see.”
Warren Rachele is the pastor of Hope Community Church in Paul, Idaho.
