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HOW TO BEHOLD THE BEAUTY OF THE LORD

August 9, 2024

One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to meditate in His temple.
Psalm 27:4

1. TAKE TIME TO CONTEMPLATE. “Behold” – châzâh in Hebrew – means to gaze at, to perceive, to contemplate.* In the framework of modern Western civilization, which I grew up in, busyness is a high point in life. Everyone keeps going and moving. But the Bible comes from the ancient Eastern framework that valued contemplation. This verse shows that even though David was a warrior and a king and had to work through the circumstances and responsibilities bearing down on him, he wanted to prioritize his close connection to the Lord by settling in, pondering, and contemplating the beauty of the Lord.
 
2. GAZE AND GLANCE. When you gaze (eyes fixed steadily) at God and His promises and only glance (look briefly) at the problems, breakthrough comes. In the Bible, Goliath, a nine-foot-tall warrior, was mocking the armies of Israel morning and night, challenging them to send someone to fight him. The people of Israel got to a place where they were gazing at Goliath for hours a day in fear and only glancing at God and His ability. But then a teenage David came along. He had been spending time with God as he watched over sheep. The living God was magnified in bold italics in David’s heart, whereas Goliath was only written in tiny print, a puny little circumstance. So David asked, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should taunt the armies of the living God?” Because he was focused on God, David knew where his victory would come from. He challenged Goliath saying, “This day the Lord will deliver you up into my hands . . . that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the Lord does not deliver by sword or by spear; for the battle is the Lord’s and He will give you into our hands” (1 Samuel 17:26, 46-47). What we are beholding, gazing at, and focusing on determines our victory or defeat.
 
3. ENVISION GOD’S BEAUTY. When I was lost at sea in New Zealand, I envisioned my wife’s face. I just like it so much. In the same way, David is envisioning God and His holiness, glory, presence, and personhood. God is flawless in every way. All His wisdom is perfection. He doesn’t twist anything. There is no variation or shifting shadow in Him (James 1:17). He can be relied on. He bore your sins (1 Peter 2:24). He carried your diseases (Matthew 8:17). He redeemed your life from the pit (Psalm 103:4). Take some time with God right now. Pray in the Spirit. Pray with your understanding. Talk to God about your day. Cast your cares on the Lord. Invite Him in for wisdom, and He’ll give it to you.
 
PRAY THIS PRAYER:
God, help me to shift into a deeper level of devotion to You. Help me to behold Your beauty. I want to return to that original first love attentiveness that You have called me to, and which my heart and soul absolutely need. I am so grateful that I have You and that You are available to me. Help me to seek first Your kingdom and Your righteousness, and You promised that all the things I need will be added to me. I love You! Amen. (Revelation 2:4-5; Matthew 6:33)
 
God bless you,
Pastor Jeff Perry 

be·hold, verb
To see, look upon, or gaze at.
Used in the imperative for the purpose of calling attention.

Copyright © 2024 St. Louis Family Church, All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted or distributed in any form without prior written permission of St. Louis Family Church. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved. *“Châzâh, H2372.” Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. James Strong, 1890, p. 38. “Behold, V.” American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Harper Collins Publishers, 2022, https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=behold&submit.x=49&submit.y=15.