“Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!” (Psalm 34:8).

How often do we look at life from the perspective of glass half empty vs. glass half full?

Do we ever stop and thank God for what He’s done for us, or do we dwell on what He hasn’t?

When we focus our attention on what we lack, we run the risk of complaining and not appreciating what we’ve been given. However, when we stop and remember how God has graciously blessed us, we discipline our minds to filter out discontentment by replacing it with thankfulness instead.

Psalm 34:8 reminds us that God is our shelter from the storms of life, protecting us from danger which seeks to hurt us physically, from distress which overwhelms us emotionally, and from calamity which ultimately attempts to destroy us spiritually.

Granted, we understand the need of running to a safe place in the midst of a storm, but do we rest in the security of God’s provision when the clouds have rolled away and the sun is shining? In other words, is the protection of God something we seek only when times are tough, or do we rest in the shelter of His wings all the days of our lives?

“Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy. Let me dwell in your tent forever! Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings!” (Psalm 61:1–4).

FOUNDATION:

Undoubtedly, we all endure trials which are never planned, but inevitably consume our focus and attention more than we prefer. How then do we cope? Where do we run to safety? Who will we trust to be our strong tower in times of great need?

“My son, keep your father’s commandment, and forsake not your mother’s teaching. Bind them on your heart always; tie them around your neck. When you walk, they will lead you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; and when you awake, they will talk with you. For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life” (Proverbs 6:20–23).

The only foundation we should anchor our souls to for wisdom and discernment is God’s Word. Therefore, we must reconcile in our hearts and minds which moral compass will be our guiding light. Will it be the absolute truth of Holy Scripture which never changes, or the sinking sand of relative truth which changes frequently?

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it” (Matthew 7:24–27).

Far too often, we fail to recognize what a priceless treasure it is to have God’s divine Word at our disposal 24/7/365. Keep in mind, the Bible has become more accessible to billions of people for generations, yet as time goes on, we’ve deprioritized its importance in our daily lives. As a result, we’ve failed to recognize how Scripture is spiritual food for our souls and critical for survival this side of heaven.

Make no mistake, a man can survive 3-days without water to drink and 3-weeks without food to eat. However, countless souls have been starving themselves literally their entire lives by failing to recognize the endless buffet God has freely given them to satisfy their hunger pangs.

“Jesus said to her, ‘Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life’” (John 4:13–14).

SURVIVAL:

If we’re honest with ourselves, our primary problem is that we fail to equate physical needs with spiritual needs when we compartmentalize the Bible as a survival accessory to our faith journey rather than the trail map itself. In other words, we think we know better so we choose to lean on our own understanding rather than submit to God who is the true fountain of wisdom.

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones” (Proverbs 3:5–8).

Keep in mind, no man willfully chooses to be dropped off in the middle of the wilderness, content to survive by his lonesome without the knowledge or tools necessary to survive. It is a death trap! Yet millions of souls die every year, willing and content to starve themselves rather than accept the knowledge and wisdom God infinitely provides to rescue them.

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death” (Proverbs 14:12).

“The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice” (Proverbs 12:15).

It is amazing how stubborn and hardhearted we truly can be when we choose to veer off course rather than trust God’s Word. For the experienced hiker or mountain climber, a trail map is crucial to survival because it protects a man from potential dangers and guards him from committing costly errors which could prove life-threatening.

The same is true of the Bible. We have the ultimate survival map readily available to illuminate our path and chart our course. Why then do we trust ourselves more than God in survival situations? Wouldn’t we be wiser to seek His help by reading His holy instruction manual (the Bible) for answers?

“But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury” (Romans 2:5–8).

PERSPECTIVE:

In many ways, we fail to simply recognize how blessed we truly are. Keep in mind, when we find ourselves in survival situations, our first inclination should be to take inventory and assess what knowledge and resources we have at our disposal before building a plan of action.

However, far too often we immediately jump into “fix it” mode when trials arise and rely more on what we think we know rather than asking for God’s help. Therefore, if we’re not spending time reading Scripture (knowledge) and praying/meditating on its meaning (understanding), we’ll never apply what we’re learning to know which path to take (wisdom).

“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Matthew 7:13–14).

What makes the refuge of God so pleasing to our senses is knowing He always has our best interest in mind. All we need to do is take inventory of our lives because God’s abundant blessings are on full display if we’d simply open our eyes and appreciate what we’ve been given.

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:4–7).

Far too often, we fall victim to a “glass-half-empty” perspective which consumes our minds with what we lack. However, when we cling to the Lord as our refuge, it doesn’t matter what life throws our way because His grace is sufficient and His provision, sovereignly perfect.

Therefore, if we have received salvation by grace through faith in Christ, we are more than conquerors to withstand the flaming arrows of the enemy which seek to steal our joy and draw us away from God’s sovereign protection.

“The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him” (Nahum 1:7).

BOTTOM-LINE:

Psalm 34:8 is a powerful reminder of how thankful we should be for the blood of Jesus which protects us from God’s wrath. For His grace is so amazing because His justice is so fierce, and we must reconcile our hearts and trust in Jesus for our salvation to avoid spending eternity in hell separated from God’s love.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9).

Therefore, let us taste and see what the Lord has done and give thanks to God our Father for His sovereign provision which protects us from the enemy. For the day will come when we stand before the judgment seat of God and nothing but the blood of Jesus will satisfy God’s wrath, hence why Psalm 34:8 is such a powerful declaration of praise and thanksgiving for the refuge of salvation we have in Christ.

“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation” (Romans 5:6–11).