One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in His temple. (Psalm 27:4)
What makes a mountain vista, or a sunrise, or a bouquet of tulips beautiful is not one particular color, shape, or texture. It is the interplay of colors and depths and textures and shapes and proportions. It’s the harmonious relationship between all the facets that coalesce to create beauty.
And so it is with the beauty of the Lord, the source from which all other beauty flows.
Even considered individually, every singular aspect of God’s infinite and perfect nature is laden with beauty – layers and depths and angles that we can only catch faint glimpses of now through the eyes of faith. These mere glimpses should cause us to crave more.
That was certainly the case when Peter, James, and John witnessed the transfiguration of Jesus that day on top of the mountain. These three followers of Christ caught only a glimpse of God’s glory… yet it was enough for Peter to suggest they take up residence on the mountain! (Matt. 17:1-9).
Moses was granted the privilege of speaking with God “as a man speaks with his friend,” (Ex. 33:11). Yet after all he had experienced of God he still craved more, asking God to “Show me Your glory!” (Ex. 33:18).
God didn’t grant his request in full, of course, or Moses would’ve been consumed. However, He did allow “all His goodness” to pass before Moses (Ex. 33:19-20), quite possibly to the extent that any mortal could behold and live.
The reason we can seemingly stare forever at the splendor of a sunset, the intrigue of a rainbow, or the purity of a newborn’s face and never tire of the view is because this transient beauty resonates – in a minuscule way – with our intense desire for eternal, divine beauty that our Creator instilled in us.
But it takes the all-encompassing, indescribable glory of God to satisfy our otherwise insatiable thirst for beauty. And it will be His beauty and glory and majesty that His redeemed will forever praise and adore throughout eternity.
May we say with the psalmist,
One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord…
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My Glorious Lord,
I raise my heart in thanksgiving to You for granting me the privilege to experience Your incomprehensible beauty, only faintly now in Your Word and more fully throughout eternity in Your presence. This privilege comes at great cost to You – the death of your Beloved Son. Only those who’ve been washed in His blood are granted that privilege. So may I never take it for granted.
Clarify my spiritual understanding that I may seek with all my heart and strength to love and adore Your beauty, and not spend my days chasing the many distracting cheap substitutes that can never satisfy what I truly crave and can only find in You.
Cause my desire for Your glory to be ever increasing. Allow me to experience depths and angles of Your beauty as I meditate on who You are as revealed through Your Word and Your Son. Show me more of Your glory in order that Your beauty may then be more purely reflected in me. Amen.
- Lord, do I delight in You as I ought? If I know my heart, my desire is to glorify You and, like David, to be in Your house and gaze upon Your beauty. I know my desire for You springs from Your Spirit in me, which is how I know I’m desiring that which is good.
- Lord, may I not be like those of whom the prophet Amos spoke, “They sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes,” (Amos 2:6). They who sold the joys of heaven, peace of conscience, and communion with the Spirit, for worldly nonsense. They who would rather have a little gold and silver than Christ and all His unsearchable riches. Rather may I desire above all to know the riches that are in Christ for, to me, Lord, You are the Pearl of Great Price and the most valuable treasure.
- Scripture tells me that my heart should be fully engaged in working out my salvation through the means of grace You have provided for me, and that I should do this until I reach Your heavenly temple. By Your grace, Lord, grant me the desire and the will to perform it.
- Lord, are my desires for godliness of a constant and fixed nature? Are they like waters that never fail? If so, Lord, then I know they spring from an everlasting source and are fed by the overflowing fountain of Your Spirit.
Further References for Psalm 27:4
Ps. 23:6, 26:8, 65:4, 84:2; Luke 10:42; Isa 26:9
