From the Home Place

December 3, 2025

The weather man says it is 28 degrees right now, the high will be around 29 with a stiff north/west wind. That puts the wind chill around 17 degrees for a high, much fun!

Yesterday, I spent my day working a bull sale for a neighbor. The bulls looked really nice, the crowd was large, and the sale was hot, inside the barn that is. It was just plain cold for most of the day outside though. With a stiff wind, lots of clouds, and a day of sorting bulls, it turned out to be a rather large day. Every now and then I was able to duck behind a barn or a windbreak to get out of the chilling wind. I was very grateful for those moments of refuge.

Psalm 34:8 states, “O taste and see the Lord is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! Here the psalmist invites us to “taste and see the Lord is good.” To “taste” literally means to “savor,” carrying the idea of really enjoying said taste. It’s like making a pot of your favorite homemade soup and having a “taste” after mixing and warming all of the ingredients. In tasting your soup you take a spoon full, let it sit a moment while tasting to allow all of the flavors to fill your mouth. That’s the idea here in Psalm 34, to “taste” is to allow all that “the Lord” is fill you with the same anticipation of a great meal that the taste of soup does, no more ingredients, now just someone to enjoy it with!

Like your finished soup, the taste of the Lord reveals that He “is good.” All of the ingredients are present at just the right proportion to make a really good pot of soup, and an exceptionally “good” Lord! But here’s the kicker, the soup is made even better on a cold day. So, now look at verse 6, “The poor man cried, and the Lord heard him And saved him out of all his troubles.” To walk with the Lord through a difficult day is like enjoying a bowl of delicious soup on a cold day, both just make you feel better.

The latter portion of Psalm 34:8 tells us that to we are blessed when we take “refuge in Him.” The word “refuge” means to find shelter from adverse conditions. Like yesterday, the wind and the cold were tough to deal with, so that quick duck behind a windbreak provided that momentary shelter. However here in Psalm 34 we are led to believe that to take “refuge” in the Lord is not for just a moment, but for all of the storms of life.

You see, today is even colder and winder than yesterday was. Today’s refuge is going to feel even better than yesterday’s shelter did. Why? Because the storm is worse today than it was yesterday. Once again, I say that the worse the storm of life is, the more enjoyable it is take shelter in the Lord. Knowing that He is going to protect you in the middle of any storm, brings an incredible peace to the Christ-follower.

It’s like finishing that hot bowl (or two), of your homemade soup, you’re warm and satisfied as you melt into your chair. That is the picture the psalmist is painting for us, a person so satisfied in the Lord that we just melt into a comfortable place.

When I got home yesterday afternoon, it felt really good to just sit in my favorite chair for a bit. Thanking the Lord for safety and strength during yesterday’s busy day. And now, I think I’ll sit with the Lord for just a bit longer before going out into today’s cold and windy weather.

Enjoying our “good” Lord with you, Neal