Last Sunday we heard about David’s longing to “gaze upon the beauty of the Lord” (Psalm 27:4). What does this mean?
It doesn’t imply that the Lord generates a physical manifestation of himself. Better to take this as a way of describing spiritual recognition—as when Paul prays that God would open the eyes of our hearts (Ephesians 1:18—did you know your heart has eyes?).
Stop and think about the wonders of creation all around us, from skies to trees to seas to furry creatures; from Niagara Falls to the Grand Canyon. Such stunning sights in the physical realm can be a metaphor—a symbol of the incalculable splendor of God himself! To be sure, nature cannot show us the fullness of God’s being, but it can give vital hints about the glory of the Lord. So practice this with creation: follow the sunbeam up to the Sun; trace back to the reality of the Creator from his handiwork that you see.
Think of Isaiah’s report, “In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple” (6:1). The King is dead, but the Holy God is manifestly alive, resplendent in wall-to-wall majesty! Isaiah “saw” the enthroned Lord, and it shook him: “Woe is me!” (v 5).
Shift gears to the New Testament charge to turn away from sin, run the race with endurance, and “fix your eyes on Jesus” (Hebrews 12:2). Verse 3 clarifies: “Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.” To fix your eyes on Jesus is to “consider” him, rivet your attention on the One who went to the cross for us, and imitate him as we run the race of faith. So too in 2 Corinthians 3:18, “We all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another” (cf. John 17:24; 1 John 3:2). As we worship, we are becoming like the one we behold: “conformed to the image” of God’s Son (Romans 8:29). So: fix your eyes on Jesus!
