Chasing the Beautiful God

Previously

If properly considered with even an ounce of creative imagination, the throne room scene is one which should fill us with fear and awe at the power and holiness of God. Yet when God explains to Moses what he is seeing God doesn’t say, ‘I am powerful!’ He doesn’t say, ‘I am Holy’. He doesn’t say, ‘I am to be feared’. God says instead, interpreting and defining what He chooses to reveal about His glory, “ “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin…”” (Exodus 34:6, 7)

The first thing God says about Himself and about His beauty is that He likes humans! When the almighty, all powerful, all holy, perfect God comes to tell of the first thing He wants to be known about Him He says, ‘I am merciful, gracious, patient and good to people!’ Then Moses responds like all the other men who encountered God’s throne: He “… made haste and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped.” (Exodus 34: 8)

Could it be that true worship comes from encountering the heart explosive truth that although God is totally other-than people He has fiery, passionate longing for us? Could it be that the sound of trumpets that come from the throne are actually the sound of God singing over His people (Zephaniah 3:17)? And could it be that the intensity of the very scene around the throne is giving a picture of how intensely He desires to fully possess the affections of human hearts? The answers to all those questions are a resounding: yes, yes and yes!  Surely this is not the only truth that the throne room is telling but it is one that is key. The truth is that God has inextricably linked the declaration of His glory to the winning of human hearts. God has so deeply invested the proving of His greatness into our loving Him that for Jesus not to have a bride, a people who are fully and completely His, would be to declare into the eternal that God has some kind of weakness. Although God is an almighty, all-powerful God like no other known or unknown the truth is that He uses His power for love. Jesus will have a bride, the glory and fame of God’s name depend upon it! YOU are the object of His affection and desire. That is who you are. In the place where things truly matter, you are not defined by what you wear or what you’re good at or who you know or how much money you have. You are defined by the ferocity of His desire for your heart.

Now listen to the song again. This revelation changes everything.

 Storm all around you by Jon Thurlow – Purchase here

Joel Ratcliffe