When I met my wife, I was infatuated with her. And guess what? I still am! I mean that! So what does this have to do with “gazing on the beauty of the Lord all the days of my life?” I’m glad you asked!
First, let’s ask: what on earth could David be talking about? We can’t “see God” in this life. And even if we could, why would we want to stop everything just to look at Him?
Or could David have been referring to something much deeper than physical beauty?
Beauty Beyond Comprehension
Let’s establish something: God’s beauty is beyond comprehension. All the beauty and all the glory of His creation are but a shadow (Hebrews 8:5) of His own glory. Indeed, His beauty is so great—so majestic—so literally breathtaking—that our human bodies cannot take it in. Over and over again in the Scriptures, we read of how men and women fell into a deathlike trance when confronted with a literal visitation from God. Our mortal bodies simply cannot handle how incredible He is.
But again, is David merely referring to God’s “outward appearance?”
Beauty that is Majestic
As I read David’s heart cry that we know of as Psalm 27:4, my mind is challenged in a different way. So is my heart, and indeed so is the very core of my being. I am compelled to cry out along with Paul: “I want to know Christ!”
You see, Jesus is “the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being.” So knowing Jesus is the same as knowing God Himself.
All the time in the world is not enough to contemplate His majesty—or as David so aptly put it, His beauty.
Beauty that Cannot be Contained
Have you ever actually taken the time to quiet your soul and meditate on how good He is?
If you have, then you’ve probably realized that all the time in the world is not enough! He is so good, so breathtakingly beautiful (not only in form but in character and in every other way), and so amazingly awesome–so much so that your mind would never in a million years be able to wrap itself around Him.
Even as I write this, words completely fail to adequately portray Who He is.
Think of it this way: Is anyone (or anything) as loving as our God? As intelligent as our God? As creative as our God? As merciful…as just…and yes, as vengeful toward injustice?
Over and over again in the Scriptures, we read of how men and women fell into a deathlike trance when confronted with a literal visitation from God. And yet His love for us is so enormous that He would voluntarily come to earth in the form of a human being so we could touch Him and relate to Him.
Kind of like the undercover boss, eh?
Inviting His Beauty Into Your Soul
He is so much more worthy of our love and devotion than is the constant trash from our culture that screams for our attention. When you learn to quiet your soul for even just a few minutes (longer if possible) to reflect on His greatness, I think you’ll agree!
Indeed, may the majesty and the beauty of the Lord overwhelm you.
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 NIV
