The Bread That Changed Everything

When Maria Chen opened her small bakery on Division Street in Portland, she struggled to get foot traffic. People walked past the storefront without a second glance. No amount of signage or social media posts made a difference. Then her neighbor, a retired chef named Gerald, gave her the simplest advice she had ever received: "Stop telling people how good it is. Let them taste it."

Maria set up a small table on the sidewalk every Saturday morning with fresh samples of her sourdough. No pitch. No pressure. Just warm bread, torn into pieces, offered freely. Within three months, she had a line out the door. People who tasted it told their friends. Families who discovered it came back every week. The bread spoke for itself — but only after someone was brave enough to try it.

David writes in Psalm 34, "Taste and see that the Lord is good." He does not say "consider" or "evaluate" or "think about." He uses the most intimate of the senses — taste. You cannot taste something from a distance. You have to bring it close. You have to take it in.

David had sought the Almighty in his most desperate hour, and God answered. His fears dissolved. His face became radiant. And so he turns to us with the same invitation Gerald gave Maria — stop standing at a distance. Come close. Try it for yourself. Those who take refuge in Him will never lack any good thing.