There’s something in your life right now that appears to be unfavorable. Something that has presented itself as a setback. Something you’re trying to avoid, wish away, or go around. No matter how hard you’ve tried, this thing is still here today standing in your path, staring you down as your reality, and its now become apparent you can’t avoid it any longer. As much as you don’t want to, you have to deal with this.

And do I ever have a scripture for you today. Oh my goodness, a scripture hidden within the pages of your bible, just waiting for a time such as this.

Psalm 34:8 “Taste and see that the Lord is good.”

This may not look good, but you have no idea how good it actually is. You may think you don’t want this, but once you taste and see, you will understand what God has been doing. Just as some delicious dishes are mistakenly unimpressive on the plate, you have to taste and see for yourself.

My mama is one of the best country cooks you could ever meet. That woman can fry chicken, mash potatoes, whip up a pot of green beans and make homemade yeast rolls that will make your taste buds do Olympic status somersaults. You’ll be licking your fingers, licking your plate and sticking around for the next meal, that’s for sure.

But, the presentation is unimpressive. She doesn’t use fancy dishes. The potatoes are not perfectly formed in a rounded mountain, nor is the bread properly placed on a side plate with butter in a gold wrapper. It’s all just piled on a cheap Walmart plate, dripping off the sides.

If you’re only looking at presentation, you would choose the plate from the fine dining restaurant over mama’s plate. You would choose the one that looks so darn perfect with 5 green beans drizzled with some sort of caramelized glaze. You won’t know until you TASTE.

You gotta bite into this. You gotta go beyond presentation. You gotta see what this really is before you know how good it is.

You know I’m not just talking about that dinner plate, right? I’m talking about that exact circumstance in your life right now that looks like a real disappointment. The very thing you’ve been trying to avoid. Taste and see what God is doing here.

Here on the surface it doesn’t look so good, but once you taste, you will see God is doing something good here. It’s time to quit walking around analyzing this, trying to figure it out, poking at it then running away, no girl, TASTE AND SEE.

Discover what God has for you here. Find out for yourself what this is.

That’s God’s invitation for you today. Taste and see that he is good. Dare to go deeper, beyond the surface and see what God has designed for you. You may be disappointed in the presentation, but once you taste it, you will understand God’s offering is way better than you thought.

His care for you is unmatched. His love for you is relentless. His passion for you is unlimited. But on the surface of a situation it doesn’t always appear caring, loving and passionate. Sometimes it appears harsh, cruel and punishing. Go beyond the surface. Move forward here. Dig deeper now. See what this is really made of. Experience how this is intended for your good.

You gotta taste this.

You’re poking at it. You’re picking at it. TASTE AND SEE.

You know what is required to finally taste and see for yourself? HUNGER. You have to be hungry enough to try it.

Raising our son, my husband would play the tough dad role and say, “when you’re hungry enough, you will eat the food we’re giving you.” Ends up that kid could avoid eating for quite a long time. Eventually he would sit at the table and eat. Why? Because he was hungry. When the Cheetos are taken away and the Little Debbie snacks are no longer an option, eventually you get hungry enough to try what’s on your plate.

Maybe you’re not hungry yet, but girl you will be. God allows us to miss a few meals and go without so we grow hungry for that which only he can offer. Sometimes God takes away the snacks we’ve been filling up on so we can get truly hungry for a good meal.

Could that be what is happening right now? You’re at a stand still with God? What you’re used to snacking on has been taken away. What you like has been eliminated. What has been a comfort to you is now gone. Now you’re staring at a serving of something you don’t understand and don’t want to try. You’ve been waiting it out. You have been hesitant. You crave the snacks you once had and the comfort food of yesterday, but now it’s gone.

And God says “taste.”

Taste what he has for you here. Discover for yourself what God is offering you now. You will never know just looking at the surface of this situation, you’re going to have to dig in.

Some of us can handle the hunger longer than others. Some of y’all are so darn stubborn waiting for things to return to the way they used to be, refusing to try what God has for you here now, and you’re about to faint! Taste and see. Try this!

You will never know how good this is just standing there at a distance. This is God’s invitation for you to try what he has for you now. See how different isn’t bad. See how there’s so much more than what you see on the surface.

On days you don’t understand what God is doing, trust him anyway. In times you don’t understand his offerings, taste them anyway. He is a good good father, and what he has for you here can be trusted as good. It may not appear good. On the surface it may appear as everything you do NOT want. But taste and see. God is good. Let him show you his faithfulness.

Are you hungry enough yet … or are you still waiting this out?

Brussels sprouts sound bad. Here, have some brussels sprouts. That’s unimpressive. While we’re at it, just go ahead and give me a side of dirt with those sprouts. Getting a kid to eat a brussels sprout is quite the exhausting feat. But what they don’t understand is beyond not sounding good, smelling slightly bad, and appearing unimpressive, if you taste of my roasted brussels sprouts with bacon, walnuts and cranberries, you would surely declare it is the best vegetable ever made. They are seriously delicious. But I’ll never convince you of that until you take a bite and see.

Take a bite and see. Taste and discover. You gotta take a bite out of this situation sister, it’s not what you thought. God knows what he’s doing and you’re going to have to trust him enough to stop reaching for what is familiar and try what he has for you now.

Taste and see, the Lord is good. It may not look good. It may appear unfavorable. It may not be what you’re used to or what you’ve been craving. But if you’re hungry enough to try, you will see what’s here for you today is so good.

Good for your character. Good for your growth. Good for your future.

Taste and see. Or continue to be really hungry. Your choice.