One thing I have desired of the LORD, that will I 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 inquire in His temple. Psalm 27:4
One hundred days would not be enough to behold You.
One year would feel like I’ve just begun the ascent.
God of beauty, You have enough beauty for a lifetime (more!) worth of beholding. You are that complex. Who are You that this psalmist whittles a heart full of requests down to just one ask?
Oh, to behold You says the psalmist and today I echo their words.
Their prayer is my nudge. I want to know You, God, who has facets of Yourself, unending. Your magnificence is layered. I taste and receive what I can until what I’ve tasted reminds me that I cannot be satisfied with just one morsel. You’ve made me for pursuit and You, God, reveal more of Yourself the longer I look.
I worship You, Father, who is the antithesis of boredom. I love You, One who offers exploration, unending.
I leave fleeting satisfactions and the thoughts that flit through my mind like sand in my hands and You tell me that when I behold I build. I can build a lifetime of beholding. Each new day holds a new side of You.
You who made air move like wind and stars to not just shine but to streak across sky, You take pleasure in my beholding. My inquiry is Your delight. Your house is one where the object of my eyes changes my constitution when I look. I behold You and You speak to my deep as I stare deep.
It’s in beholding that I gain understanding.
Father, You’ve created an exchange where my cravings are finally met. The thirst of my life was purposed for You and when I behold I drink from a spring, bubbling up and over into the dark places of me.
To sit at Your feet I not only find You, but I find me. The inertia of my life is cyclical — intended to start and end with eyes on You. My life gets calibrated when my days are spent in Your home. You erase chaos with beauty and sear my eyes to see when I look long at You.
Father who invites me to behold, there is a place where things are made right. Locked eyes unlock me.
I love You as I behold You and my beholding sets me free.
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So what do I do with these posts, you ask, other than just read them? First, if you haven’t yet, read: Why I Adore and Morning Chai, Explained to give you a context for this little space on my blog.
If you are compelled, I invite you to participate. Set up a space and time in your own life to begin adoring. Over laundry or dinner dishes, on your commute to work, or in the wee morning hours — five or ten minutes is a great start. You can use the verse I list here every day or two as a launch pad for your own adoration. (Showing Up gives you some practicals.)
Then practice praise.
I promise your weary soul won’t regret it.
You can see all of the Morning Chai posts with this link: http://www.EveryBitterThingisSweet.com/posts/chai/ and you can easily subscribe to these devotional meditations as they are delivered, by using this feed: http://www.EveryBitterThingisSweet.com/posts/chai/feed or by entering your email address in the second box on the right-hand side.
Photos compliments of Mandie Joy.
