“TASTE and see that the Lord is good.” These words from Psalm 34 remind us that we can do all the intellectual research we like around whether the God of the Bible exists, and what sort of God he is; but the only way we are truly going to discover the truth about him is to “Taste and see”.

Faith in Christ is essentially an experiential faith. We discover God’s love and faithfulness when we find ourselves in the position where it is him or nothing.

I have seen wonderful Christian men and women going through tremendous pain and suffering. At the time, one longs to see their struggles relieved and can cry out to the Lord, “Where are you?”

Later, however, one invariably discovers the beauty formed through these times of struggle, like a diamond forged under intense pressure in the depths of the earth. We can then rejoice together in God’s faithfulness.

In James’s epistle we are encouraged to, “Consider it pure joy whenever we face trials of many kinds, because the testing of our faith develops perseverance; and perseverance must finish its work so that we may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” The walk of a Christian can be very tough, but it is always accompanied by joy and hope.