Behold the Beauty of God

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall. Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident. 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. For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock. And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the Lord . Hear, O Lord , when I cry aloud; be gracious to me and answer me! You have said, "Seek my face." My heart says to you, "Your face, Lord , do I seek." Hide not your face from me. Turn not your servant away in anger, O you who have been my help. Cast me not off; forsake me not, O God of my salvation! For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in. Teach me your way, O Lord , and lead me on a level path because of my enemies. Give me not up to the will of my adversaries; for false witnesses have risen against me, and they breathe out violence. I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! Wait for the Lord ; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord ! - Psalms 27:1‭-‬14 ESV

Rev. Charles Han

If we could ask God for one thing and he would frame it, what would you all?

Made to behold beauty

What makes us human? What distinguishes is from animals? We desire good over evil. We desire beauty. We seek it out in people, in music, in our work. Beauty captivates us and leaves us wanting more. But our first experience cannot be bottled and experienced again. It brings us less awe the second time around. If this thirst for beauty is real, then it points to God. How so? Hunger points to food. Thirst to drink. Loneliness to companionship. If beauty cannot be met be things of this world, then it points to something of another world.

Made to behold the beauty of God

In Jesus, we see beauty. How so? We see the majestic and powerful God of the heavens stoop down to serve us, mere humans. The sovereign omnipotent God came to live as a slave. In the grand scheme of creation, David is less than a speck of dust, but God takes the time to tend to David's needs. Jesus is both the lion and the lamb. He is powerful, able to destroy without anyone able to restrain. But he is also a lamb, offered up in sacrifice to us. God's majesty is perfectly seasoned with His meekness. And His meekness is perfectly seasoned with His majesty. We love the ephemeral experience of the endless beach and sea, the majesty of the Grand Canyon. Why? We thirst for the personal and intimate. This ache in our hearts points to God. This is the aim and goal of personal quiet times and corporate worship.

What beholding the beauty of God makes us...

"Since we have such a hope, we are very bold, not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end. But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit." - 2 Corinthians 3:12‭-‬18 ESV

We become what we behold. By beholding God's beauty, we become more and more the unique beauty of both the majesty and meekness of God. One of the marks of someone who beholds Jesus is the dual attributes of both boldness and humility. They are bold, not timid. Yet they are humble instead of proud and arrogant. We will find a remedy for both fear and pride.