How Does it Taste?

I was feeling a little sentimental the other day as I sat at my desk in my study and looked through Piper’s old “The Way” paperback copy of The Living Bible.  This paraphrase version of the Bible was first published in 1971 and was widely accepted within most Christian circles and quickly became a best seller.  “The Way” paperback copy was published a year later and was specifically tailored with its commentary’s, pictures and chapter introductions for older youth and college age readers.  Piper and I both had copies and took them with us almost everywhere we went!

It is interesting that I don’t have specific memories of Piper spending as much time in the Word as I did… but yet she was always right in step with me in our understanding, faith and practical application of the Word… in fact… usually a leap ahead!  She was an excellent Bible teacher and had a wonderful ability to use tangible examples that were very pertinent to the age and spiritual maturity of the classes that we ministered to throughout the years.

As I thumbed through her Bible within the books of Psalms and Proverbs, it was easy to see that she actually did spend a lot of time studying the Word.  Not only are the pages yellowed and worn with age and prolonged usage, but they are filled with her underlining of special verses, the circling of meaningful words, some highlighting of scriptures and lots of personal notations in the margins all around the page… as well as on the blank pages at both the beginning and end of the book!

I realized as I looked over her book, observed the underlining's and read her notations, that I feel closest to her today, through her memory markers prevalent throughout both the Old and New Testaments.  I have mentioned before of how Piper was a living and breathing representation of her faith and I think that is why I feel so close to her when I read her markings.  Almost every time I look over a particular underlined section, I see something that she did or said or we experienced together in our marriage.

Take for instance her blocked out area around Psalm 34:1-10, and in particular, verse eight where David wrote,

“Oh, put God to the test and see how kind He is!  See for yourself the way His mercies shower down on all who trust in Him.” (TLB)

In many respects, this verse lays out the challenge that Piper and I accepted when we first married.  As I have stated before, Piper and I were never content being in the stands during a big game or, for that matter, making the team but yet sitting on the bench.  No!  We wanted to be in the game, playing on the first-string Varsity team!  Piper always challenged others to make similar decisions and to put God to the test in their personal lives by believing in the promises written in His Word and thereby have the personal experience of how His kindness and tender mercies can flood their lives!

She had a way of making her faith (and in reality, most things that she did – like homeschooling) look easy.  She had learned the secret of staying within the overriding JOY of the Lord in her life and encouraged others to do the same.

The King James version of this verse (also circled in her King James Bible) translates it as:

“O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.” 

It is understood when reading this verse that the word “man” is actually the term for “mankind” and can therefore relate to both men and women.  According to Strong’s it “properly describes a valiant man/women or a warrior.”  In other words, in order to experience the goodness, the kindness and the tender mercies of the Lord, you must approach His promises with the determined sense of a strong and valiant person.  You must take your stand of faith with an unfaltering dedication to victory and fight the good fight of faith… all the way along the path until you see the victory!

If you knew Piper, then you knew that she was a very determined, dedicated and strong individual.  Our pastor’s wife once described Piper as a bulldog who, once she locked her faith on to a promise of God… NEVER LET GO!

So, that and more was the life memory that I relived when I read through her Bible the other day.  But more importantly, it is a lesson that I am sure that she still speaks to all of us today!  To set your mind on success and victory as you seek out the Lord and then take the opportunity to TASTE and SEE His goodness, His kindness and His tender mercies within your life.

I can picture her looking at me with those bright little brown eyes, filled with anticipation and joy, as we considered taking a stand of faith for something promised by the Lord in His Word for our lives and saying, “We can do this Jim… yes we can… let’s do it!” 

And usually, we did!

How about you?  Don’t you also want to jump into His promises and TASTE and SEE how GOOD and FAITHFUL the Lord REALLY IS?

Today just might be your day!