Track 4- Taste and See

"Taste and See"
Verses adapted from Isaac Watts
Chorus and Music by Josh Huff

Verse 1

Lord, I will bless Thee all my days,

Thy praise is on my tongue;

My soul shall glory in Thy grace,

while saints rejoice to hear Your song.

Verse 2

Come, magnify the Lord with me,

come let us praise His name;

I sought the eternal God and He

has not exposed my hope to shame.

Verse 3

I told Him all my secret grief,

my groaning reaches His ears;

He gave my inward pains relief;

and calmed the tumult of my fears.

Verse 4

To Him the poor lift up their eyes,

their faces feel His grace;

A beam of mercy from the skies

fills them with light and joy-filled praise.

Verse 5

O sinners come and taste His love,

come learn His pleasant ways;

And let your own experience prove

the sweetness of His matchless grace.

Chorus

O taste and see that the Lord is good;

blest is he who takes rest in Him.

Fear the Lord, seek Him for His grace;

be satisfied in all His ways.

This song was put together as the theme song for our Summer Camp from FVBC two years ago. The theme was Taste and See God's Goodness with the primary text coming from Psalm 34, the Psalm on which this song is based. As I was hunting around for lyrics, I came across a Metrical Psalter written by Isaac Watts. A Metrical Psalter is basically the Psalms rewritten in a poetic way so that they can be recited to a certain meter. They are also rewritten to rhyme. There are dozens of these psalters available, and perhaps even more than that. Isaac Watts has produced on of the more famous ones and you can see those online. I found his words to be particularly reflective of what the Psalmist had originally written. They also fit well into the melody that I had been crafting.

Verses 1-5 of the song are almost word for word Isaac Watts' rewrite of verses 1-5 of Psalm 34. The chorus was my attempt at a metrical Psalter from Psalm 34:8-9. I felt that these two verses really incapsulated the meaning of the Psalm and it was my hope to encourage others with these verses. It was a bit difficult to not plagiarize from other song versions of this Psalm. There is another version written by my friend Gabe Zepeda which has similar language in the chorus. But I think all of the versions represent well what the Psalmist was trying to say.

Of all the verses, I think verse 5 is my favorite. It has a note of Future Grace about it as we are called to find proof of God's grace through our own past experiences. I have certainly seen that in my own life as, time after time, I am forced to rely on God's grace and sovereignty. Time after time He has proven Himself good and faithful, laying a strong foundation for me to rest on during future trials. Truly His grace is sweet and matchless.