God Is Beautiful
For many years (a phrase which seems to introduce almost everything I say or write these days), I have thought about and preached on the subject of the beauty of God. I have never heard anyone teach on the subject, but I did through the decades come across two written sermons on the topic, “The Beauty of the Lord” by J. D. Jones and “Are There Shortcuts to the Beauty of Holiness?” (the short answer is “No!”) by A. W. Tozer. More recently, I read a review of a scholarly article about the American preacher Jonathan Edwards (of “sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” fame) that mentioned in passing that the beauty of God was one of the great themes in his preaching. I was thus encouraged that I have not headed off on an unprofitable tangent. In simple terms, beauty is that which attracts, causes a favorable interest, and creates an affinity. Such real, eternal beauty is found in our God. (I will be using this opening paragraph for each of the brief messages in this series. The following material will change daily.)
In concluding our brief study of Romans 10:1-15, I want to connect the last point (evangelism – verse 15) with the first (prayer – verse 1). During my decades as a Christian, I have prayed for many things. In the physical realm, I have seen God work miraculously a handful of times. I am grateful for those extraordinary answers. However, in the spiritual realm, I have seen God work miracles many times: people who declared that they would never set foot in a church but who finally came, salvation (the greatest miracle of all), the assurance of salvation, genuine spiritual growth, baptism, service in the local church. Why are there so many more miraculous answers to prayer in these spiritual areas? Clearly, our spiritual needs are greater and far more important – eternally far more important. We are physical beings and, as the song says, “Flesh and blood needs flesh and blood”; thus, we must continue to pray for physical needs (and help to meet them when we can). We are also spiritual beings and must pray for spiritual needs – ours and others. The everlasting beauty of our Savior should inform our prayers and empower our evangelism.