“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
The beauty of God is found in the blazing glory of all of His attributes. Our taste for beauty and that which captures our deepest affections must be consistently cultivated or we will settle for distorted images of beauty that leave us empty, discouraged, and spiritually starved. When your definition of beauty is grounded in the eternal perfection of God, there are direct effects for every area in which you struggle.
I will address just a few examples of how this plays out: through enduring suffering, fighting insecurities, slaying sexual lust, and liberation from worldliness. Like David in Psalm 27, we must ask to see, seek, dwell in, and gaze at the beauty of God so that we might rightly live and worship God as we are created to. The eyes are the lamp of the body, directed by our hearts. We set our eyes on what we believe is good and worthy of spending hours of time and energy, which exposes and determines who or what we actually serve as our God (Matthew 6:22-24).
God’s Beauty Dispels Fear in Suffering
Granted, there are circumstances in which a proper fear and exercising of wisdom helps us to act responsibly. But where must we find our deepest sense of security when facing fearful circumstances? When enemies hate you, in the day of trouble, being forsaken by family members, where does your heart turn (Psalm 27)? In the presence of pain, you can get stuck on the overwhelming circumstances. To dwell there leads to paralyzing fear and debilitating despair. Look to your suffering Savior who is not only matchless in power, but who is a shelter, the God who hears, and who has taken you in, even when all others forsake you. God with us, even in the valley of the shadow of death, causes faint hearts to persevere and take courage (Psalm 23:4).
God’s Beauty Directs Character, Overcoming External Insecurities
Time and time again, we become preoccupied wishing we could be something that we are not based only on external measures of beauty. If our value and focus is on body types, fashion sense, receiving compliments, and gaining validation, then the vanity in our heart is exposed. Ponder the love of God as one songwriter, Frederick M. Lehman wrote–
“To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry
Nor could the scroll contain the whole
Though stretched from sky to sky”
To consider the magnitude of God’s patience and sympathy towards sinners must compel us toward awe filled worship and consuming thoughts of imitating this love to others. There is no room for discouragement over external insecurities when we value the imperishable beauty of the inner person (1 Peter 3:4).
God’s Beauty Fuels Personal Holiness and Kills Lust
God is worthy of all blessing, honor, glory, and praise. He is holy, holy, holy and the whole earth is filled with the infinite weight of His greatness. There is no one like our Triune God—Creator of heaven and earth, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Righteous Judge, faithful in all His words, the only wise God. To desire sexual fulfillment in any way that God has forbidden loses its allurement in the presence of God’s holiness (Proverbs 6:25). You will see your disordered desire and be repulsed at the thought of it and put sin to death. Affection for God fills and satisfies your heart to walk in the newness of life you have in Christ (Romans 6:4-11).
God’s Beauty Sets Your Eyes on Eternity and Away from Worldliness
God displayed His love for us in Christ through adopting us when we were once far off and in rebellion to God (1 John 3:1; Ephesians 2:1-5). We respond in love for God now girded with an eternal perspective so that we no longer love the passing pleasures of worldliness (1 John 2:15-17). We long to be expended for the advancement of the gospel. Our deepest hope and driving aim will not be material blessing, an online following, and a sizeable bank account. If God grants earthly possessions, a heart set on His beauty will leverage stewardship of these things for God’s glory.
May God help us to have a singular mind to behold His glory. Read the pages of Scripture ready to treasure God in the splendor of His holiness. Spend time in resources that expound on the nature and character of God. Sing songs that instruct your heart and bring you to praise God for who He is. Fellowship with your brothers and sisters around the beauty of our God. When you do this, your driving ambition and the overflow of your heart will be to please God. Gazing upon His beauty will bring you to live rightly in His sight (2 Corinthians 5:9-10).