“Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.” (Psalm 34:8)
With the aid of her walker, a woman at the nursing home was out enjoying a brief stroll on a pleasant summer evening. I admired her courage in being out there, but what she said was even more admirable. With all her heart she said, “God is so good! God is so good!”
Decades earlier, at age 40, she had suffered a major stroke. In a moment, the mother of three active youngsters went from a demanding, busy life to a bed in the hospital’s stroke unit. Half of her body was paralyzed. Acute hospital care transitioned to months of demanding rehabilitation before she returned to her young family — and then with only a fraction of her former strength.
And now, four decades later, what does she say? “God is so good!”
How could she say this? Well, she was not happy to have had the stroke. Like all of us, she longed to be healthy and strong all her years. But in and through all that she experienced — weakness, demanding therapy, struggles, disappointments — she tasted and saw what the psalmist had discovered: that the Lord is good. Over the decades, whatever the experiences, she saw and savored the Lord’s goodness. Because she trusted wholeheartedly in God, her Savior, she knew blessedness — the blessedness of all who take refuge in him.
She convinced me anew: God is so good!
Prayer
Lord, whatever our situation may be, help us to taste and see your goodness. We take refuge in you. Amen.
Stay encouraged!
Pastor Mike
