By Judy Villanueva

 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)

It was completely silent, except for the sound of lake water sloshing against the sides of the metal fishing boat that held us.  I was stretched out reading while my husband sat patiently, rotating the reel, waiting for the tug that would mean we were having fish for dinner!  It was one of those extraordinary moments when one feels held within the beauty of God and, ushered into a great shalom!  Between the blue skies that watched over us, and the hundreds of pines that surrounded us, it would have been difficult to imagine that we could  be unsettled by anything ever again!  I remember stepping into that little boat with an anxious heart and returning to shore at peace.  What is it about gazing at beauty that quiets the soul and bears witness to the reality of God—on the throne, alert, in love, and magnificently reigning over heaven and earth?

God is beautiful!  Massively, spectacularly, incomprehensibly beautiful!  It would be impossible to tell the story of His infinite beauty and yet, He has graced us with foretastes  scattered throughout the earth!  We see hints on purple mountain peaks laced in snow, and in the array of colors splashed across the landscape.  We marvel under the magic of a night sky and catch our breath in the presence of the sun rising in splendor. Beauty blesses our soul and speaks to us of God in ways that words cannot.  When all seems lost and despair has declared a victory, beauty always has the final word…and that word is hope!

Reflecting on the attributes of God is a worthwhile and faith-building practice.  Awakening to His beauty in this world anchors us to the reality of God…a good and beautiful God.

There is something in the human spirit that intuitively understands that beauty doesn’t just happen.  It reflects and points to its Maker!

To behold His beauty is to discover His heart, peek at His face, and hear His loving whispers.  There is revelation of God on flower petals, ocean waves, and glaciers…ladybugs, redwoods, and the milky way!  At the heart of beauty is a happy God and our soul is calmed in its presence.  It bears witness that He is real, on the throne, alert, in love, and magnificently reigning over heaven and earth!

“Thank You, Father,  for this world and every inch of beauty within it!  Help me to notice and hear Your voice through all of it.  I am so grateful for starlit skies and glassy lakes, for delicately colored flowers, rainbow trout and moose!  I praise You, most beautiful God!  Amen.”

What about you? 

How does beauty impact you?  Does it?

When was the last time you were astounded by God’s beauty in creation?  How did it make you feel?

Is beholding beauty a familiar practice?

Do you know God as beautiful?

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 Worship

“Lovely” by Chris Tomlin