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.)
John 6:44 makes it clear that God is attractive in the fullest and best sense of the word: Jesus said, “No man can come to Me, except the Father Which hath sent Me draw him, and I will raise him up at the last day.” In Romans 3:11, Paul states, “There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.” Without God’s beautiful intensity, we would not take even a halting hesitant half-step in His direction. Instead, with all that He is, God sweeps into our lives in a myriad of ways (some of which we will consider in days to come). Perhaps all of us have had the experience of being in a new place and not knowing anyone there. When someone comes along, speaks to us, and begins to include us, we are relieved. In a much more majestic manner, God has stepped forward to enfold and embrace us. His touch is a personal one. As Deuteronomy 33:27 reminds us, “Underneath are the everlasting arms.”