Paying attention

Read Psalm 34:8

Taste and see that the LORD is good;
blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. (NIV)

Some travellers see more than others. Some tourist parties are full of people who are busily taking photos or videos of what they are seeing in such a way that they scarcely take in what they are seeing. There is little curiosity about or reflection upon what is in front of them. All they want is to have a record for future reference or perhaps for future bragging rights to their friends!

Similarly,it is strange and saddening if we were to travel in a wonderful part of the world and all the time have our eyes glued to the map of that place. Maps are helpful,but they are no substitutes for the real thing. To bury your head in a map is to ignore what the map is actually depicting.

Or perhaps,in the light of this text,we switch metaphors and imagine ourselves at a table in a restaurant that serves the finest of foods. If we gobble everything down in a great rush we will miss the flavour and the taste of the food. If we have filled ourselves with junk food previously,we will not have the appetite for what is on offer.

So easy to go through life missing the point. We are invited to open up our senses to the goodness of God. Admittedly hard to do when life seems against us. But we dare not ignore the greater overarching reality of God’s goodness. To be absorbed in petty details,to be overcome by what is wrong,is to miss the taste of his presence. Our lives are full of various realities. We are commanded to pay attention to this one primary reality. He is good.

Blessings
David Reay

Hope 103.2 is proudly supported by