The Beauty of the Lord
“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.”
Ps. 90:17 (NKJV)
I love beautiful things, don’t you? I haven’t always taken the time to notice God’s beauty, but lately, I have made it a point. My soul craves rest, peace, healing, and serenity. So many times I find refreshment for my heart in seasons of observing God’s beauty. I realized yesterday that it had become a definite life habit when my youngest son called me outside twice to see a beautiful cardinal in our back yard. And then moments later my middle son called to alert me to a beautiful rainbow sunset.
How many years did I blow through life, outcome-driven and miss the beauty of the Lord all around me? In this translation it says that the beauty of the Lord our God can be upon us. Other translations call it favor. Either way, it gives the sense that God’s goodness, His quality, His attributes can rest upon us!
But if we just enjoy the beauty of the Lord for beauty’s sake, we miss the point entirely! The beauty of the Lord rests upon us to do an amazing thing for us- to establish the work of our hands! We can put our hand out to do many things, but if the Lord does not establish our work, it will all come to naught. The Bible says that to enjoy our work is a gift from God!
There is so much I need to do to meet the requirements of my job, my family, His ministry, etc. I need for His beauty and favor to rest upon it. I need Him to be the foundation of it, that my works can stand and not be consumed on the day of judgment.
I am so often guilty of trying to manage things in my own time and in my own way. I must find a way to trust in Him. I need to surrender more than I struggle. I need to petition as I endeavor. Everything here is His. What if I quit trying to perform life in my own strength, and instead rested in the knowledge that He is working through me?
As we trust and lean on the enabling hand of the Spirit of God, I believe we would find more beauty. We would experience more joy and more rest. But beyond that, this verse indicates that we would find more success in our endeavors. Who wouldn’t want to enjoy their life’s work while swathed in the beauty of our Lord God?
Are you struggling today? You can find your strength in surrender!
Dear Lord, I pray today for those who are struggling with frustration, fear, darkness and discouragement. I pray that they would reach out to you and find Your beauty, Your favor, Your rest. I ask that You would establish the works of our hands. Cause us to succeed in kingdom activities for Your Name’s sake. In Jesus’ Name I pray, amen!
You are right; when we run and do things with our own strength, we run out of steam. Thank you for the reminder to surrender all to Him.