Taste and See

The King who doesn't break bruised reeds was given a reed as a scepter by men. How fitting! 

“In all perfectly beautiful objects there is found the opposition of one part to another.” —John Ruskin 

Like the future remnant of Judah (“Praise”), may we all “take root downward, and bear fruit upward” (Isa 37:31). 

Like varied threads that traverse a weaving, these five themes appear time and again in the Psalms. 

Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in blessings. Breathe out praise. Isn't it hard holding your breath? 

He's the Alpha and Omega of God's glorious revelation, the Author and Finisher of His amazing plan. 

THE END. That's how a book concludes. But with “the end of the Lord” (Jas 5:11), He's just getting started! 

Christian faithfulness isn't heroics or theatrics. It's the dogged commitment to not give up on God. 

Job's unanswered questions lead him to one unquestioned answer: The Lord knows, and that's enough. 

“Relying on God” wrote C.S. Lewis, is “to start all over every day, as if nothing has yet been done.” 

“Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised” (Prov 31:30, BSB).

“In Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Ps 16:11).

“You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson 

It's vital to note that Job advocated for his friends while still in the ash heap; blessing follows faith.

“The whole duty of man is summed up in obedience to God's will.” —George Washington 

The Lord wants us to get it: get things right, get past our problems, and then get on with living life to the full.

Dust and ashes! Were they evidence that God had abandoned Job? Or the perfect place to find Him! 

Can't see the forest for the Tree? The forest of hurts and slights and lies, for the Tree stained with blood! 

It was pride that changed angels into devils. Then what do you think it will do to you? 

“The boneless tongue, so small and weak, Can crush and kill, declared the Greek.” —P.B. Strong

“To be united to Christ by faith is to throw off the thraldom of hostile powers…Christ's victory is ours.” —F.F. Bruce 

“Through You we repel our foes; through Your name we trample our enemies” (Ps 44:5, BSB). 

We won't be overwhelmed by the Dragon's bullying if we overcome by the Lamb's blood (Rev 12:11). 

God says, “Behold, I am against you…O great monster who lies in the midst of his rivers” (Ezek 29:3). 

Imagine fishing for a sea monster with a hook and line. But in this sea story, it's Job who gets hooked!

“He who is not content with what he has, would not be content with what he would like to have.” —Socrates 

“Nothing is so strong as gentleness, and nothing is so gentle as real strength.” — Francis de Sales 

Just the grass family includes over 11,500 accepted species. I suppose we still have things to learn! 

Whatever these creatures are, they're giants to us. To God? He might consider them some of His pets. 

We all know what it's like to be humbled by a virus we can't see, and that doesn't even know it humbled us! 

It's the irony of humanity that, in aspiring to being godly, we discover the secret of humility. 

Of course, God is more than enough. He's more than everything—the everything He made one week! 

When God speaks to us, it is always His truth; when He speaks again, it's also the echo of His grace.

“When God places a burden upon you, He places His arms underneath you.” —C.H. Spurgeon 

“Apply yourself wholly to the Scriptures, and apply the Scriptures wholly to yourself.” —J.A. Bengel 

Job learned nothing when his friends turned the microscope on him, but when God used the telescope? Wow! 

“The eagle that soars in the upper air does not worry itself how it is to cross rivers.” —Gladys Aylward 

Does Job, sitting in the ashes, understand that he is the battlefield between right and wrong? 

What a picture! The ostrich's wings can't fly, but that doesn't keep her from lifting up in pride. 

When we domesticate animals for our benefit, we diminish their ability to fend for themselves.

“It is possible that God says every morning, ‘Do it again' to the sun.” —G.K. Chesterton 

You want rain? Elijah-like, talk to the God who made the clouds, because the clouds aren't listening. 

“God's promises are like the stars: the darker the night, the brighter they shine.” —D. Nicholas

“I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting system through which God speaks to us.” —Goethe 

“He has made the earth by His power, He has established the world by His wisdom” (Jer 10:12). 

Imagine that! Man's mighty war machines rendered useless by the Lord's little flakes of snow! 

Astronomer Johannes Kepler spoke of discoveries “as though I had thought one of God's thoughts.” 

We use the words “I wonder” to mean, “I'd like to know.” But it should mean, “I'd like to worship.” 

This has to be the ultimate interview, with God asking the questions. Is Job interested in running the universe? 

A whirlwind is energy in motion. What may seem chaotic could, in fact, be God on the move for us. 

Don't try staring at the sun. But how will you see the Lord when He appears “as golden splendor”?