One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple (Psalm 27:4).
Father in heaven, splendor and majesty are before [You]; strength and joy are in [Your] dwelling place (1 Chronicles 16:27). Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is Yours. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom; You are exalted as head over all (1 Chronicles 29:11).
You, Oh Lord, sit enthroned on high (Psalm 113:5), yet You stoop down to look on the heavens and the earth (Psalm 113:6). And You invite us to draw near to You (James 4:8). You have set a desire, a longing for You in our innermost being—we say like the prophet, "My soul yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you" (Isaiah 26:9).
How we long for Your courts, Father God, knowing that better is one day in Your courts than a thousand elsewhere (Psalm 84:10). So often we seek Your hand, gracious God, and we thank You for all that You give us. But teach us to seek Your face, above all else. Give us the desire to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and seek Him in His temple (Psalm 27:4).
We bring an offering of praise before You Lord. We worship You in the splendor of Your holiness (1 Chronicles 16:29). We cannot look at the sun, which You created; how can we look at Your resplendent light? But by Your grace, "we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit" (2 Corinthians 3:18).
Glorious God, thank You for holding out your sceptre of grace—the shed blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Through His death and resurrection, we are able to stand in Your presence and see the awesome wonder of Your beauty and Your majesty. Thank You that You will fill [us] with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand (Psalm 16:11).
Bless the Lord, O my soul (Psalm 103:1)!
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