run

“Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!”

Psalm 34:8 ESV

He is simply the epitome of goodness. He is the totality of goodness. He is completely good, and He is not void of it. He can’t help but to be good.

How have you been feeling lately? Tired. Exhausted. Weary. Busy (maybe way too busy). Have you been caught up in the day-to-day? And considering my folks who may not feel this way this time around, have you ever? 

Let’s start here, the Lord is good. The psalmist is establishing something about God’s character before arriving at the blessing. In God’s book, He inserts a guarantee and a beautiful promise. He is simply the epitome of goodness. He is the totality of goodness. He is completely good, and He is not void of it. He can’t help but to be good. This is the groundwork to build upon- He is good. 

This consistent God asks us to taste and see his goodness. In other words, “try and experience”. God is invitational; He does not force. 

Lastly in the psalm, blessed is the man (and woman) who takes refuge in Him. Refuge means a condition of being safe or sheltered from pursuit, danger, or trouble.

This order is incredibly intentional. The psalmist knows he must establish God’s goodness, and then invite us to experience it, to arrive at the blessing that awaits. The act of invitation is encouraging within itself because it feels personal and relational. As an individual child, I will have a personal experience with God. Each testimony is building a storehouse of His faithfulness. This gives me the confidence and willingness to run and be safe with him when trouble and danger come (because both will, amen?).

A rapport has been established between me and My God. It is concrete and immovable. How grateful we can be to have an insightful God who knows that you can only run to him when you deem Him good and experience him as safe. 

There is a blessing in running to God, friends.  Do you remember when you first ran to Him and the peace you experienced? Do you remember when you were weary and burdened, and He gave you rest?  There was value in running to Him, right? You received from Him, didn’t you? You benefited from it. Guess what, you get to run to Him time and time again. 

So beloved, don’t walk, RUN to our marvelous God. He is pleased when we pick Him above all other idols. And we are beyond satisfied -dare I say blessed - when we run to him. 

So, what are you waiting for? Go get those steps in. 

In love,
Ashley L

reflect:

Is there anything preventing you from running to God today (fear, doubt, disappointment)? Take a moment and contemplate those feelings: What did you think about God? Did God feel near or far? Did He feel safe? Lastly, what part of His character is He wanting to reveal to you now?

additional reading:

Psalm 46:1/ Psalm 55:22/ Psalm 56:3-4/ Psalm 91:2

centering prayer:

Abba, you see my heart and where I struggle to run to you. Give me an understanding and reveal why I may hesitate to run to you. As you reveal, heal me, Lord. I want to trust you more and believe with faith (even if a mustard seed) that you are who you say you are. You are good. Thank you for your son Jesus the ultimate proof of your goodness. In Jesus name, Amen.