TASTE & SEE

One of the gifts of being a woman is having the ability to juggle a few things at the same time. Work, family and ministry to name a few. I have always been a person who loves to have a few things going on at the same time.  I am not someone who is inclined to stay still for long and I am sure many of you can identify with me. The challenge is keeping balance in our lives by being able to do all of the above and more, plus being able to find time for ourselves and have time to nurture our friendship with the Lord.   

Often I get a sense of the Lord saying to me ‘Taste and See’.  There is a scripture that says, “O taste and see that the Lord is good; happy are those who take refuge in him” (Psalm 34:8). When I first heard Him say this to me, I knew He was talking to me about the time I spent reading the Bible. He was encouraging me to spend more time reading His Word and I instinctively knew He wanted me to meet Him in the pages of this divinely inspired book to taste and see that He is good. 

The Bible is filled with endless truths, promises, encouragement, direction, conviction, love. It is a place where we can meet the One who loves us, to hear His voice, to grow in intimacy with Him and learn about who He is and who we are in the pages of this book. 

Time For A Bigger Handbag!

After I first experienced Baptism in the Holy Spirit and came into a deeper relationship with Jesus, I heard Him tell me that He wanted me to always carry the Word of God with me. This was 27 years ago, a different time when we did not have mobile phones to download a Bible on an App. I remember thinking what a great excuse it was to buy a new handbag, one big enough to carry a Bible around. From that time onward, I have always had the Word of God with me however now it’s on my phone and my handbag is much smaller.

Why did He say that? He wanted me to be aware that the Word of God was going to be an important part of my walk for me both personally and for ministry. He wanted me to taste the Word of God daily and see that He is good. One of the biggest challenges of daily life is finding time to spend time reading the Word of God and this time can be one of the first things to slip when life becomes busy.

I made a promise to the Lord a long time ago that I would put His Word in my heart every day. Sounds easy to do but I made this promise when my children were young. Some days were so full I would get to the end of the day and realise I had not come close to opening my Bible. So before I closed my eyes for the night, I would open and read a Psalm or go to my favorite verse and read it. It was only a moment but it tasted good, it refreshed me and quietened my heart.

Jesus Has A Distinct Flavor 

Recently during a quiet time with the Lord, I heard Him say to me that ‘He has a distinct flavor’. I don’t know about you but sometimes when the Lord says something to me, I have no idea what He means. I have learnt that He does that on purpose to invite me to ponder on what He said and dig a little deeper with Him. After some reflection I felt what He meant was that the World we are living is full of options to satisfy our hunger and it can taste good.  We might need love, there are so many ways the world offers love; we may need acceptance, and again there is a banquet table to choose from to feel accepted in the World. We may need healing in our hearts; there are so many self-help programs to choose from to help with this. They all have different flavors and can be satisfying for a moment but eventually we will be left feeling unsatisfied and looking for more.

Jesus has a distinct flavor that is so different from the world and one of the ways we can experience His flavor is in the Word of God.

We can open the pages of this amazing book and experience Him. It is a place we can meet the one we love and serve, to satisfy our hunger for more, it’s a place that we can experience His love, His healing, His acceptance. It’s a place where we learn who we are and whose we are. We can feast upon His Word anytime we like, it’s available 24/7 and it’s free. 

It’s A Decision 

Each day part of my time in prayer with the Lord is spent reading the Bible. It is in this time that I meet with Him and I can see the difference this daily decision had made in my life. As previously mentioned it is a challenge some days to find the time, however this daily choice has been a firm foundation in my walk with the Lord.

Get Creative 

Sometimes we need to get creative in working out how and where to read the Word of God regularly. Here are some suggestions.

• Download a good Bible phone app so when waiting for an appointment or having a coffee break  we can read the Word even if it’s only a  moment.
• Down load an audible Bible and play it as you are driving. 
• Have a few Bibles around the house that are available to pick up easily.
• In our quiet times with the Lord give a portion of that time to reading His Word.
• Join a Bible study group or start one. 
• Write out a particular scripture and put it in a place you can read it. I write verses on my mirror in my bathroom to reflect on and change them regularly.
• Follow the liturgical Calendar with the daily Mass reading. 
• Find a yearly Bible reading app or book.

Meet With Him 

In scripture it explains that Jesus is the Word , “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). When we spend time with Sacred Scripture we meet with Jesus the Word. He is waiting to speak to us more in His Word, He is waiting for us to taste daily of how good He is and enjoy His distinctive flavor which will satisfy our deepest need. Choose today to make it an important part in your walk with Him. When we do this we will never be disappointed. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Anne Marie Gatenby serves on the National and State Catholic Charismatic committees in Australia and is National coordinator for Intercession for the charismatic renewal in Australia. She has published a book on intercession and is an international speaker, equipping God’s people on how to be courageous passionate witnesses for Jesus Christ.