A Prayer About Beauty
One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. Psalm 27:4
Dear Lord Jesus, I praise you this day for creating, sustaining and redeeming all things, including beauty. Indeed, you are the fountain of all beauty and you, yourself are quintessential beauty. I have believed this, I would believe it again with undistilled passion and unabated delight.
I remember how it felt when you first opened the eyes of my heart to your beauty in the gospel. With joy and spontaneity, King David’s words were mine, “Lord, just let me gaze upon your beauty all the days of my life!” For in seeing your loveliness, I learned to see all things by the light of your loveliness. I began to find beauty in unexpected places and unsuspecting people. Some things I had previously considered beautiful began to appear rather artificial, superficial, even ugly. I began to realize how sin had blinded me to true beauty, even sabotaging the very category.
But as with my natural eyes, so with my spiritual eyes, the clarity of my vision has faded and I accept my need for corrective lens. Jesus, lay your hands on the eyes of my heart and remove the cataracts, heal the myopia, reattach my retina. Let me gaze upon your grandeur, gape at your grace, linger in your loveliness, savor your splendor, marinate in your majesty, be totally smitten with your beauty, Jesus… this day, and all the days of my life. So very “Amen!” I pray.
