Taste and see that the Lord is Good

I don't know about you, but I absolutely love food - I love sourcing it, preparing it,

cooking it and ultimately eating it! I love the variety of ingredients that have originated from all over the world, the exciting flavours, colours and textures, the sensation of trying something new, experimenting and seeing what works well together...

I am reminded of the word from Psalm 34v8 (NIV) "Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him".

As I write this short reflection, we are experiencing the impact of climate change on our food supply - not exotic foods from specialist providers, but everyday essentials for many families, fruit and vegetables. A trip to the supermarket this week to source tomatoes, celery and peppers turned into an impossible task, and I had to admit defeat after visiting three stores and conscious of my carbon footprint from journeying any more.

I sit here and think of those who are already reliant on foodbanks within our communities and the impact on those across our world, whose food supply is even more scarce and are starving.

Commentators would suggest that the shortage of fruit and vegetables could last for some months due to a shortage of supply from areas of our world that have experienced bad weather, and where supplies are reaching our supermarkets, they are being rationed.

I feel comforted today that God's provision is not like an empty basket, or rationed in any way but can provide for our every need. The psalmist is inviting us into not just reading about or knowing that God can provide for us but to experience it, like we would savour a delicious meal and not needing an extra dessert!

Jesus himself said "I am the bread of life, whoever comes to me will never go hungry and whoever believes in me will never go thirsty" (John 6:35 NIV).

Today, I feel so grateful that God can provide for us both physically and spiritually and pray that we use all our senses to encounter God in our lives. May we too though, and not just at times like this when food shortages impact on our daily living, recognise that we need to all take action, to reverse the damage to our planet, so that God's good earth can be plentiful for all, for many years to come.

© Stephen Allen Feb 2023