Seek, Stare, Call, Fear, and Taste

David Reyes

Psalm 34 is a brilliant Psalm that reminds us to trust God for everything. Take a look at this snippet from this wonderful Psalm:

Psalm 34:4-8

4 “I sought the Lord, and he answered me;

    he delivered me from all my fears.

5 Those who look to him are radiant;

    their faces are never covered with shame.

6 This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;

    he saved him out of all his troubles.

7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him,

    and he delivers them.

8 Taste and see that the Lord is good;

    blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.”

Revealed in the passage are some very practical ways you can experience tremendous growth in your faith, particularly in trusting God for your needs. 

1. Seek

“I sought the Lord, and he answered me;

    he delivered me from all my fears.”

When you become curious about God, He responds by revealing just how near He is to you. Knowing that God is close to you will give you a great sense of comfort and security. Fear comes when you have neither. So start getting curious about how you can pursue God. Our Wednesday night gatherings could be a good place for you to start this pursuit!

2. Stare

“Those who look to him are radiant;

    their faces are never covered with shame.”

There’s just something quite beautiful about a grateful person. Sure they go through tough times, but they find the courage to be grateful, which is inspiring! I want to be more grateful and less complain-y. The easiest way to become grateful is to stare at the goodness of God. Take your time and just stare at His faithfulness. It will change you. It will even change your countenance!

3. Call

“This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;

    he saved him out of all his troubles.”

This sentence is about to make you cringe but bear with me. God has never not responded to His children! It makes total sense, right? Let me say it differently: if you ever decide to call on God, He will absolutely respond! He’ll never leave you hanging, so call on Him.

4. Fear

“The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him,

    and he delivers them.”

Let me be clear; God is not contradicting Himself. He is not saying that you should be afraid of Him. Fear in this context is respect, honor, and deep admiration. God desires to have a relationship with us. And He is a Holy God. I love my (earthly) Dad, and I will not lose respect for Him, because I love him. Fearing the Lord means desiring to honor Him with everything within me. Not because I have to, but because I want to! It turns out that’s the kind of relationship God is looking for.

5. Taste

“Taste and see that the Lord is good;

    blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.”

This is a call to action! Give God a try. Test Him in this way. Pursue Him and ask Him to respond. Here’s why you should. Have you ever met a person that doesn’t like a certain food? And then you’re like, “did you have a bad experience with that food in the past?” And they’re like, “Nah, it just looks gross!” Those are the worst!!! I’m an expert food eater, and you should trust my expertise! After slapping them on the wrist, I insist that they’ll never know what they’re missing until they give it a try. Sometimes they do, and I’m usually always occasionally right!

But in this case, I’m 100% right. Try God, and you’ll get the response you desperately need. 

I hope this helps!