Could there be a more desirable topic than the beauty of the Lord? In a world fallen, it can be easy to take your eyes off the beauty of God. But being entranced by the beauty of God has a resounding effect. Remembering the beauty of the Lord can ready us for worship, can melt away the sense of duty, can drive us further in our faith journey.
Perfections
God is a maximally great being. There is no improvement to be made to God. If there was, he wouldn't be perfect. From eternity past, and continuing forever, God will be perfectly kind, gentle, merciful, gracious, patient, forbearing, forgiving, just.
A good man might be faithful to his word for most of his life. A wicked man only faithful upon occasion. But God’s nature is untainted. Making his faithfulness certain and enduring throughout the generations. God is perfectly faithful to his covenant with humanity.
When God chooses to rescue his servants, it is with perfect timing, with perfect gentleness, with perfect compassion. God knows thoroughly the potential impact of his intervention. When God chooses to execute justice, it is with perfect severity, with perfect morality. The beauty of God lies in his perfection.
"The Mighty One, God, The Lord, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to where it sets. From Zion, perfect in beauty, God shines forth." (Psalm chapter 50, verses 1-2)
God’s creativity
God has created an array of natural wonders. Snow-capped mountains, lush rainforests, wide expanses of sand dunes, blistering hot plains, icy kingdoms. The world has the fingerprint of a creative designer.
Located in southwest Bolivia, are the world’s largest salt flats. The area is incredibly flat and bright. Imagine a white desert of salt. Following rain, a thin layer of water transforms the area into the world’s largest mirror. The clouds in the sky are projected onto the ground and you are in a glorious sight. A true natural masterpiece.
Located within the different types of landscapes are various creatures. Some that crawl on the ground, some that stretch their wings in the sky, some that burrow into the earth. Some are spotted, striped, scaled. Some have horns, spines, claws, talons. Some have tens of legs; others have several eyes. Some have fluorescent colours, others camouflage.
The variety is mind boggling. God harbours a beautifully creative mind.
Order
In philosophy, ‘induction’ talks about the probability of the future resembling what happened in the past. For example, in the past when I let go of a tennis ball it fell to the ground. So, I expect the same to happen in the future. The reason why we can use inductive reasoning is because we live in an ordered universe. Gravity remains the same. Things don’t spontaneously combust. We don’t live in a chaotic world where matter behaves independent of natural laws. Earth continues to rotate. Matter continues to behave predictably.
The point is this, God sustains this universe. He maintains order.
“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word” (Hebrews chapter 1, verse 3a).
The ordered universe brings great glory to God. An ordered symphony is far more beautiful than a crash of random cymbals.
In Genesis 1, God is introduced as a God interested in order. The earth first starts off as a desert wasteland. It was formless and void. Then, God starts to order it and bring about beauty. Notice the amount of separating God does in the creation account. He separates the waters and makes a sky. God orders the stars in the sky, the ocean and the land. God is making distinctions. God is organising the universe and bringing forth beauty.
He even creates order in the form of a hierarchy. He places humans to rule over animals. This replicates how God rules over humans. But God is set over every creature, spiritual being included.
From this order we see beauty shine forth.
The human body is another example. There are twelve main systems in the body. The skeletal, muscular, nervous, endocrine, cardiovascular, lymphatic, respiratory, digestive, urinary, reproductive. All these systems have their own unique purpose. They are all weaved into the body to help us function. The body is intricately designed. It pours forth speech saying God is an elegant designer.
Beauty Transforms
Beauty is to be beheld. God has set in us a desire to seek beauty. God has given us the ability to appreciate beauty also. So, what will happen when we seek beauty and find it? Maybe we will be led closer to God. Maybe we will find ourselves in awe and ready to worship.
"One thing I have desired 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 behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple." (Psalm chapter 27, verse 4)