Taste and See That the Lord Is Good

In one paragraph

Scott Eichen, who served First B as associate pastor from 2006 to 2012 and is now planting a church in Gillette, Wyoming, preached from Psalm 34:8. His message was a call to move past a distant, secondhand knowledge of God into a personal experience of His goodness and the joy that comes with trusting Him. Scott opened with a survey about the Grand Canyon. Most people have heard about it, seen...

Read together

1. 1 Peter 5:7 cast your anxiety upon the Lord for he cares for you
2. John 3:16 for God so loved the world that He sent His only Son
3. 1 Samuel 21:10-22:1 historical background of David fleeing Saul and feigning madness before King Achish
4. Psalm 34:1-8 main text of the sermon, David praising God after being delivered
5. Psalm 86:5 the Lord is good, ready to forgive, full of unfailing love
6. Psalm 100:5 the Lord is good, his unfailing love continues forever
7. Psalm 119:68 you are good and do only good
8. Psalm 145:9 the Lord is good to everyone, showers compassion on all his creation
9. John 10:11 I am the good shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep
10. John 15:11 so that you will be filled with my joy and your joy will overflow
11. John 17:13 Jesus praying that his disciples would be filled with his joy
12. Luke 18:1 parable that they would pray and never give up
13. John 10:10 the thief comes to steal and kill and destroy, Jesus came to give life in abundance
14. Romans 12:2 closing benediction, do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind

Talk about it

1. Scott talked about the difference between seeing pictures of the Grand Canyon and actually standing at the edge of it. Where in your own life have you moved from just knowing about God to actually experiencing Him personally, and what brought about that shift?
2. David wrote Psalm 34 while he was running for his life, yet he opens it with 'I will praise the Lord at all times.' What does it look like, practically, to praise God in a season when everything feels like it is falling apart?
3. Scott read several passages about God's goodness and quoted Max Lucado saying 'a glimpse of God's goodness changes us.' Has there been a moment when something showed you God's goodness in a way that actually changed how you lived or thought? What happened?
4. Scott pointed to three ways we taste and see that God is good: opening the Bible with expectation, praying and not giving up, and trusting Jesus as Lord and Savior. Which of those three feels most alive in your life right now, and which one feels like it needs the most attention?
5. Warren the preacher said the greatest blessing for David was not the deliverance itself but drawing near to God and enjoying His presence, not just His gifts. How do you personally guard against settling for God's gifts while drifting from God Himself?