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The Beauty of The Lord

                 One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. (Psalm 27:4)

          Yesterday, I finished reading a book that spent some time dwelling on the mistake of “motion” and the importance of beauty, so it’s no surprise that I am turning my magnifying  glass on myself and examining with a critical eye. Do I love the Lord? Would dwelling in His house be enough? Just gazing on Him in adoration? Is that the way it’s supposed to be? If it is, why aren’t all of the psalms, or even the rest of this psalm like this verse? David may have thought it would be nice to live in a bubble, but he didn’t and neither do we.

          As I think about this verse, what Dallas Willard said about the kingdom of God comes to mind. The “house of the Lord” doesn’t refer (at least at this point) to a building. It is the range of God’s influence. The beauty of the Lord isn’t just God, Himself. It may also involve the beauty of His creation and His involvement in the universe. His beauty is all around us but sometimes we are so busy, so distracted, so focused that we miss it.

          My sister notes that when she sees something beautiful, she tries to remember to thank God for it. I do the same thing. But when I came home in the spring, I had plans for photo safaris that never happened. I suspect that when and if I do go on one, I’ll follow a habit I noticed several years ago - with something inside of me saying, “Go! Go! Get moving” rather than enjoying it. When I’m in my garden, I’m focused on doing what needs to be done. When I do stop to look at it, I frustrated with how cluttered or how casual it looks (as opposed to having formal plantings of ornamental plants.

          It’s not all bad. I get to enjoy beautiful plants as others purchase them. There are times when I recognize the beauty of plants as they feed birds, butterflies, and bees. But the point today is that I don’t make this a conscious part of my life as often as, perhaps, I should.  So my prayer is that you and I will both fall in love with God’s beauty, that we’ll take time to smell the flowers, taste the food, hear the thunder and the birdsong, notice the twinkle in someone’s eye and generally experience God’s beauty.

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