Psalms 128:1-2

God is the ultimate spice! When my ultimate intention and goal in life is to fear God and walk in His ways, His abundant blessings extend even to such simple things as increasing the enjoyment of eating food. In other words, a true engagement with the living God takes simple things like eating food and multiplies their enjoyment so that they become both richer and happier experiences in themselves – but also, and more importantly, they increase our enjoyment and deepen our delight in God Himself.

I could make a dangerous mistake here, and think that God’s intention for me – in being good to me – is simply to make sure that I have food. Certainly, that God simply provides such necessities as food for me is a very good thing. Yet, if I stop there, and simply utter a quick prayer of thanks, that such food has been faithfully provided, I will miss out on a greater good that God has for me. He blesses me (makes me happy) when I fear Him and walk in His ways. This blessing extends itself, and plays itself out, not just by giving me such good things, but amazingly, by his grace, He also grants me the capacity to receive such things with happily! It is entirely possible to eat food with thankfulness and genuine gratitude, yet not happily. Thankfulness and happiness are not the same things. God blesses us with both. So when I eat a good steak, for instance, I not only thank God for needed sustenance – but I utter groans that words can not express as I enjoy and am very happy to have (with thankfulness) and enjoy (happily) such blessings from God. Fearing and knowing God intensifies all such enjoyments!

Yet I cannot stop there or I might be guilty of loving God’s gifts more than the giver. And so for me, when I enjoy things like great steaks, and experience happiness in the eating, I flag that genuine response (the happiness in eating), I flag it in my mind and when I go to God’s word (the most delicious of all “steaks”) I ask God to produce the same “mmmmmm” in my soul, the same happiness and enjoying in eating His Word. This happens of course when the word, by the power of the Spirit enables me to see more clearly, the all satisfying glory of God, in the face of Christ. When God is, in this way, received in my heart, it is not just with thankfulness, but with great happiness!

O Lord, be to me more desirable than any treasure on earth. As I put your Word into my mind and heart, let me receive delightful mouthfuls of the finest of foods. And please Lord, don’t let me walk away from such experiences merely with a polite “thank you,” but grant me, by your grace, a deep enjoyment and happiness as I view your glory by seeing Jesus Christ more clearly. Amen.

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