What is Beauty?

Lord, I pray that You would give me the “incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious” in Your sight…1 Peter 3:4.

It is good for us to pray this, but we should also hold fast to this word as well!
In doing that we find we need courage to keep doing, keep looking into the eyes of Jesus and behold Him.  For what we look on and hold in our hearts is what we become. You like watching vampires, and the walking dead, well, you might look like one of them very soon.

For me, I like mysteries in like a "who done it" type show or movie. And there are times I have to say no to them. My husband, well, he can take them or leave them, but for me, I must really work to say No to watching those kind of things all the time!

In the passage below we look at the power of God and saving people. In this vital scene, we are reminded that we like to be on the winning side, right? We all went to high school and experienced some rejection, some deep pain maybe by someone speaking ill against you or by implying something that was wrong about you. In high school, you either fit their mold or you had to create another group of people to hang out with. But to me, school was not about the 'crowd' but about getting my diploma. It was not about how many friends I might or might not have, but that I kept a focus for that which I worked at for 12 years.  My reward was going to be my diploma!

In the case of Jesus, He was rejected by the masses. Oh surely He had people to follow Him and even had a meal served to them in the wilderness as no stores were close enough and held enough bread to be bought, so Jesus prayed and had the disciples hand out the crumbs............but boy, those many crumbs expanded to feed thousands.

What is beauty and where is it found?

Well, it is not found on T.V. or at the movies. Mother Theresa came close but still not close enough like the beauty of the Lord who I behold. 

Isaiah 53:1-3

Who has believed our report?

And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? 

2 For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant,

And as a root out of dry ground.

He has no form or comeliness;

And when we see Him,

There is no beauty that we should desire Him. 

3 He is despised and rejected by men,

A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.

And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;

He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. NKJV

Out of a dry place Jesus appeared. He wore no robes of royalty. Had no diadems mentioned. No he was not regarded.

He walked along a river, the Jordan, and met John there to be baptized.

What now was His name? Oh yes, Jesus the Christ whose power no foe can withstand.

Tall, yes,most likely and probably had long hair! But His face held peace in it. His countenance of love spoke volumes. A reprover, yes indeed. Authentic, and attracted to saving lost souls. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter without reluctance. He did not blame others, but took the blows. Not only beaten but sent to the cross as well, and his scourging was severe. His destination a tomb or so many thought.

Psalm 38:13-14...13 But I, like a deaf man, do not hear;

And I am like a mute who does not open his mouth. 

14 Thus I am like a man who does not hear,

And in whose mouth is no response.  NKJV

Would you shrink from that? Not a smooth place of skin remained on his body. Wronged and abused, he was the oppressed, died for mankind, and then walked out of the Tomb. His triumph over death, hell and the grave came through humiliation. It was not about Him, but about the Father!

Psalm 90:14-17

14 Oh, satisfy us early with Your mercy,

That we may rejoice and be glad all our days! 

15 Make us glad according to the days in which You have afflicted us,

The years in which we have seen evil. 

16 Let Your work appear to Your servants,

And Your glory to their children. 

17 And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us,

And establish the work of our hands for us;

Yes, establish the work of our hands. NKJV

Let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us.....a beauty that is of His divine character. It is in that beauty, that we are held in and in that we see people's hearts won for Jesus. It is in His excellence of character, that the beauty of the Lord will shine through us when we allow it to happen.  In holding Jesus before us and looking into His way, truth and life.......we constantly see the loveliness of life established before us.  In this prayer above, we see the main heartfelt desire............that they reach that which they were destined. When we choose to speak what He speaks and act as He would act, then we carry out His purpose for our lives. And it is one that comes with established favor.

Charles Spurgeon wrote this: Revenge, lust, ambition, pride and self-will are too often exalted as the god's of man's idolatry; while holiness, peace, contentment, and humility are viewed as unworthy of a serious thought.

Seriously thinking we are to come to God's thoughts and His ways....they are much higher!

When you move on down the passage you find how the rain and the snow come down from heaven....the earth is watered and begins to bud and flourish. In that which God provides we gain seed. We are to sow that seed. And in His Word that goes from our speaking His Word, we find purpose. We go out in joy and are led forth in His peace.

In doing for the Lord, minding His thoughts is foremost and then act on what you have spoken from His word. If you are the healed, then act like you are the healed. Go do something you could not do before you read this.

For keeping God before us we come to the garden He planned for us. We do not leave empty handed and have more than enough to share with others. We are elated to be going to worship God with others and look how we might pray even more for our communities and for people's lives to be touched by the beauty of the Lord.

Isaiah 55: 10-13.....10 As the rain and the snow 

come down from heaven,

and do not return to it 

without watering the earth 

and making it bud and flourish,

so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, 

11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth:

It will not return to me empty,

but will accomplish what I desire 

and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. 

12 You will go out in joy 

and be led forth in peace;

the mountains and hills 

will burst into song before you,

and all the trees of the field 

will clap their hands. 

13 Instead of the thornbush will grow the pine tree,

and instead of briers the myrtle will grow.

This will be for the LORD's renown,

for an everlasting sign,

which will not be destroyed." NIV 

I leave you with this today. You have every opportunity to become poetry in God's mouth and His Words. The reality you face should be the open door where you are the inspired and the delighted. In this poem of you, God speaks loudly. You were set to live in this day and in this hour. To receive Jesus as Savior, you move to the head of the class to find out even more of what your life involves. Eternity: well, you have just begun to find out how long that really is.

Of you, a gem of beauty, oh so serene, born into the family of God. Who can fathom His goodness for you? You become the sweet to someone's bitterness. You value those who are the talented. You even explore their exquisite gems, so lovely, and you encouraged them to continue and become what God planned. Your talent took you to speak to someone's success. Your capable heart sent out words to lift and guide. And the prayers you prayed: well, they are all being answered by God one by one! You blossom in the beauty that is you. Not by being you, but Who God planned for you that looks just like you do!

What is beauty? Beauty is that which binds the God of peace, the God of healing, the God of victory to everything we find ourselves in this hour. It is found in the broken, the forgotten, the misplaced, the scattered, the wind-driven, and in the darkness of prisons. Beauty is where we take Jesus and meet others in the grace bestowed upon us. 

Walk out your door today, and find that place to take the beauty of the Lord. You might be surprised where it will take you! Amen!

Notice: 

The Voice of Prayer  has a new teaching published:

The Glory of the Latter Rain

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44w_A_1IBgg



You can also visit my Youtube channel The Voice of Prayer for more teaching at  http://bit.ly/1tNyBhV