The Beauty of the Lord

[bluidkiti]

The Beauty of the Lord


Recently, our daughter and her family made a trip to the Grand Canyon. I sent her a text that day and asked her about her first impressions. Her response included words like “awesome” and “amazing”…at the end of her text she asked me if I had ever been there.
My response was a sad reminder that I have driven within an hour of it many times through the years, but never went because I was always in too much of a hurry to get to my destination.
One year, when our kids were young, we were on a family road trip from Arkansas to California. We traveled route 66. I was in my typical “Let’s keep going and get there as fast as we can” mode. I drove past the exit to the Grand Canyon and continued to take the speedy wagon westward! Late that night everyone in the car was exhausted and wanted to stop. I reluctantly agreed. We were in the desert and the only place I could find was the Yucca Motel in Yucca California.
Once inside our room, no one could sleep…finally, after much tossing and turning, I decided to get everyone back in the car and drive on to L.A. It can be said that I gave up enjoying the beauty of the Grand Canyon, for the temporary “wonders” of the Yucca Motel.
Spiritually, a similar thing can happen to us. Our “zeal” for the Lord can get us moving so speedily through life, that we can fail to set aside the time needed to stop and behold the beauty of the Lord and to gaze upon the wonders that are found in Him alone. Let us guard our hearts and keep our work for the Lord from becoming more consuming than our delight in the Lord.
One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek, inquire for, and [insistently] require: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord [in His presence] all the days of my life, to behold and gaze upon the beauty [the sweet attractiveness and the delightful loveliness] of the Lord and to meditate, consider, and inquire in His temple. Psalm 27:4 (AMP)