Psalm 34:8 “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.”
Well known and much loved people and pastors have said to remove feelings from our faith and walk only on what is written in the Word of God. I would say something different, yes, we base our faith and verify our beliefs on the Word but it is silly to think that we ought to leave our “feelings” out of it. God teaches us and establishes our relationship with Him also using our experiences and our emotions, which must be verified by the Word of God. John Calvin wrote “Now we shall possess a right definition of faith if we call it a firm and certain knowledge of God’s benevolence toward us, founded upon the truth of the freely given promise in Christ, both revealed in our mind and sealed upon our hearts though the Holy Spirit.” Something that is revealed to us is something we experience as a gift from God. The things of God are only revealed by the Lord Himself. (1 Corinthians 2:9-10) Often, what we learn best is learned through our experience and our feelings and we get a proper view of the experience through the Word of God. My heart may be hurt by one I love but I gain the true perspective and right thoughts of the experience from God. I read it in His Word, better is to have read it in His Word, and then God the Holy Spirit reminds me of the verse and gives it application to my experience. John 14:26 “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” It is silly to think that the Lord who gave us the ability to have feelings (joy, anger, sorrow, empathy, etc.) would tell us that we, who are made in His image, and then reborn into that image, should not use the abilities that He gave to us to benefit us. The Lord has always called upon man to remember what He has done, for us and for others. He tells His people to remember the great, loving and caring things that He has done and in that way, along with His Word, which is something He did in giving us Himself. After all Jesus was the incarnate Word. Family and Friends, the verse from Psalm 34:8 is telling us to experience God in all the ways that we can. We can see a person who seems to be quite fine, but we will not know that until we invest time and effort to know them. For example, a man may see a woman who catches his attention, he may become infatuated by her appearance, mannerisms and laugh, but love will only grow from the time and energy spent to know the person, spending time with them. So a person may see that only God is God and find God quite attractive and desirable for one’s life, but it is not until one reads His Word, and spends time with Him, that one will truly know God and then, inevitably love Him.
If we know someone, but don’t love the person deeply, it is unlikely that we will stick with them through sickness and health, poverty and wealth, and life’s many disappointments. We must experience life with them, we must support them and they must support us, or we will be unlikely to stick with a person through the rough or hard times. We must walk with God and experience the majesty, the beauty, the kindness and love He has for us. I know that the Lord God has loved me not because of me, but in spite of who I am. When I have failed His name He has beautified it to me. Praise God. I have experienced Him never leaving or forsaking me but always been good to me. I’m like a rescued pound dog, I appreciate being saved and loved. I have tasted and seen (experienced) that God is good! He has always richly blessed me much more than I deserve, and the same is true for all of you. Praise God! (Hebrews 13:5)
Read His Word and walk daily with Jesus. Go through the good and the tough times together. Then you will not only have heard of Him and about Him, but will have worked your way through the crowd to know Him. No one who knows Him can help but love Him. Those who have pressed into Him and walked with Him, will know Him and love him. It is God’s gift to us, through Jesus our Savior and Lord. I’m thankful that God invites us to do that. Oh how wonderful He is! God welcomes us as we come to Him. John 3:16-17 “ For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son so that anyone who believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it.” God has invited us to come and live with Him. Let us be wise and grab the nail scarred hand that He extends to us. Lord, please keep us close to you.
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will Hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown you, Oh man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
Numbers 6:24-26 – The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 The Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.