I kneel low. Wood dips and pulls, tugging me closer to soaring majesty. What Beauty is this, that pours itself forth in such splendor?
I sit small before the rugged peaks, smaller still before their Creator. Small. And yet. . . loved. Lifted into the heart of greatness.
“You stoop down to make me great.” (Psalm18:35) You, Incomprehensible Majesty, pour Yourself forth, bow to lift me into Yourself.
The pastor spoke it a few months ago, how every word in the worship vocabulary of the Bible has a particular nuance shaped by a specific action of the human body. “Bless” involves the hands and the knees, bringing a gift to another while kneeling out of respect. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” (Ephesians 1:3) “We bless the God who has blessed us, the one who has come to us, knelt before us, stretched out his hands and offered us . . . Himself.” (Darrell Johnson) I kneel before Majesty, awed at such love that has knelt before me, offered me all that He is. Asked me to be His forever.
It is enough wonder that He pours His splendor into creation, carving a window for us to glimpse His glory. But the mystery runs deeper. He kneels and draws us close, pours His own beauty into us, transforms us with His own splendor. “Your beauty. . . was perfect. . . because of my splendor that I had bestowed on you.” (Ezekiel 16:14 NRSV)
The world thinks beauty fades with time. Grace says it grows as we gaze.
“And we, who with unveiled faces behold the Lord’s glory as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18)
It’s a life-long process. But it’s a promise, that He’ll complete what He has started, bringing us deep into His heart and making us beautiful with the beauty of Jesus.
I kneel low, bowing before the One who has bowed before me. Receiving Beauty.
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