“Taste and See that the Lord is Good!”—a Devotional from Oasis 9/12/09
Matthew 9:27-34 and other passages
You are a remarkable human being; did you know that? (I’m sure you’re already thinking to yourself, “I like this devotional!”) But seriously, you have been created with amazing abilities; you may deny that statement thinking to yourself “ I’m not athletic, I can’t sing, or speak well.” Never mind those kinds of abilities, I mean the way God has blessed you with senses. Sight, smell, sound, taste and touch. Each sense has been uniquely designed with a specific function. This past Sunday, Pastor Rick spoke on the message of “God of this City” emphasizing on belief. He referenced from Matthew 9, a treasure-chest of miracles performed by Jesus. Pastor Rick highlighted the story of “Jesus Heals the Blind the Mute” in verses 27-34.
Jesus Heals the Blind and Mute
27As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, "Have mercy on us, Son of David!"
28When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?"
"Yes, Lord," they replied.
29Then he touched their eyes and said, "According to your faith will it be done to you"; 30and their sight was restored. Jesus warned them sternly, "See that no one knows about this." 31But they went out and spread the news about him all over that region.
32While they were going out, a man who was demon-possessed and could not talk was brought to Jesus. 33And when the demon was driven out, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowd was amazed and said, "Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel."
34But the Pharisees said, "It is by the prince of demons that he drives out demons."
A ridiculously powerful piece of scripture isn’t it? Man! My head spins just thinking of how powerful our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is. To think that he can take a pair of blind eyes and immediately grant sight to the individual is nothing short of a medical mystery. No lasers or surgical procedures; just faith.
You may have 20/15 vision, but are your eyes capable of seeing the beauty of God’s creation in nature around you or images of lost and hurting? You may have the nose of a blood hound, but have you ever smelled the intoxicating aroma of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ? You may have the capability to hear sounds from miles away, but have you ever heard the whispers of God in moments of fear or the cries of orphans and widows? You may have the taste-testing ability of Napoleon Dynamite in a FFA Dairy Foods competition, but have you tasted the sweetness of the Word of God like honey from a honey comb or the contaminated water from a well in a third world country? You may have the ability to feel the softness of a down pillow but have you ever touched the scars of Christ’s hands and side like Thomas or the cuts of a teen-age girl from self-mutilation?
Friends, when we approach the throne of the Almighty God through his son Jesus Christ, we have full access to the enhancement of these already remarkable senses to an entirely different level. Not only, do we get to experience the fullness of God in all of his splendor and majesty but we can see the devastation of this world the way he sees it. We can see the needs of the lost, hurting and broken just like he does.
Do you believe you can experience God in an entirely different way than ever before? In the book “The Pursuit of God” A.W. Tozer describes the experience of God best by referencing specific scriptures relating to our senses:
“O taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8); “All is thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia out of the ivory palaces” (45:8) ; “My sheep hear my voice” (John 10:27). “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8).
Tozer continues with commentary to follow these passages:
“What can all this mean except that we have in our hearts organs by means of which we can know God as certainly as we know material things through our familiar five senses? We apprehend the physical world by exercising the faculties given us for that purpose, and we possess spiritual faculties by means of which we can know God and the spiritual world if we will obey the Spirit’s urge and begin to use them.”
Is it possible that our five senses are not merely meant for physical sight, sound, smell, taste and touch but to experience the Almighty God, our Creator? Could the act of believing in God and entrusting your life to his Son truly “open your eyes” as Christ did to the two men in Matthew 9. Pastor Rick asked us to utilize the time we had in prayer Sunday evening to specifically ask God to deepen our abilities to believe in Him; have you done that today? God desires to be seen, heard, smelled, tasted and touched; have you experienced Him that way today?
Joni
Matthew 9:27-34 and other passages
You are a remarkable human being; did you know that? (I’m sure you’re already thinking to yourself, “I like this devotional!”) But seriously, you have been created with amazing abilities; you may deny that statement thinking to yourself “ I’m not athletic, I can’t sing, or speak well.” Never mind those kinds of abilities, I mean the way God has blessed you with senses. Sight, smell, sound, taste and touch. Each sense has been uniquely designed with a specific function. This past Sunday, Pastor Rick spoke on the message of “God of this City” emphasizing on belief. He referenced from Matthew 9, a treasure-chest of miracles performed by Jesus. Pastor Rick highlighted the story of “Jesus Heals the Blind the Mute” in verses 27-34.
Jesus Heals the Blind and Mute
27As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, "Have mercy on us, Son of David!"
28When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?"
"Yes, Lord," they replied.
29Then he touched their eyes and said, "According to your faith will it be done to you"; 30and their sight was restored. Jesus warned them sternly, "See that no one knows about this." 31But they went out and spread the news about him all over that region.
32While they were going out, a man who was demon-possessed and could not talk was brought to Jesus. 33And when the demon was driven out, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowd was amazed and said, "Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel."
34But the Pharisees said, "It is by the prince of demons that he drives out demons."
A ridiculously powerful piece of scripture isn’t it? Man! My head spins just thinking of how powerful our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is. To think that he can take a pair of blind eyes and immediately grant sight to the individual is nothing short of a medical mystery. No lasers or surgical procedures; just faith.
You may have 20/15 vision, but are your eyes capable of seeing the beauty of God’s creation in nature around you or images of lost and hurting? You may have the nose of a blood hound, but have you ever smelled the intoxicating aroma of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ? You may have the capability to hear sounds from miles away, but have you ever heard the whispers of God in moments of fear or the cries of orphans and widows? You may have the taste-testing ability of Napoleon Dynamite in a FFA Dairy Foods competition, but have you tasted the sweetness of the Word of God like honey from a honey comb or the contaminated water from a well in a third world country? You may have the ability to feel the softness of a down pillow but have you ever touched the scars of Christ’s hands and side like Thomas or the cuts of a teen-age girl from self-mutilation?
Friends, when we approach the throne of the Almighty God through his son Jesus Christ, we have full access to the enhancement of these already remarkable senses to an entirely different level. Not only, do we get to experience the fullness of God in all of his splendor and majesty but we can see the devastation of this world the way he sees it. We can see the needs of the lost, hurting and broken just like he does.
Do you believe you can experience God in an entirely different way than ever before? In the book “The Pursuit of God” A.W. Tozer describes the experience of God best by referencing specific scriptures relating to our senses:
“O taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8); “All is thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia out of the ivory palaces” (45:8) ; “My sheep hear my voice” (John 10:27). “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8).
Tozer continues with commentary to follow these passages:
“What can all this mean except that we have in our hearts organs by means of which we can know God as certainly as we know material things through our familiar five senses? We apprehend the physical world by exercising the faculties given us for that purpose, and we possess spiritual faculties by means of which we can know God and the spiritual world if we will obey the Spirit’s urge and begin to use them.”
Is it possible that our five senses are not merely meant for physical sight, sound, smell, taste and touch but to experience the Almighty God, our Creator? Could the act of believing in God and entrusting your life to his Son truly “open your eyes” as Christ did to the two men in Matthew 9. Pastor Rick asked us to utilize the time we had in prayer Sunday evening to specifically ask God to deepen our abilities to believe in Him; have you done that today? God desires to be seen, heard, smelled, tasted and touched; have you experienced Him that way today?
Joni
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