“Your eyes will see the
King in His beauty; they will see the land that is very far off”
(Isaiah 33:17)
We all know what beauty is, don’t we? Last week
we were in Kauai, the northernmost part of the Hawaiian chain of
islands. Almost a year ago we were bumped from a flight out of New York
City, and the airline gave us free plane fare as a reward for our
inconvenience; tickets that had to be used within one year. Almost a
year later, my wife said, “I know what I’m giving
you for your birthday – a trip to Hawaii to work on your book!”
She made all the arrangements, including a hotel in southwest Kauai and
then a bed and breakfast on the north shore. I had been on Oahu three
times before, but was not prepared for Kauai, a place where we saw
beauty – everywhere.
We drove to the southeast until the road ended
and then we went up into the mountains to view the amazing “little”
Grand Canyon of Kauai. We subsequently drove northeast until the road
essentially ran right into the sea. There were waterfalls, clouds on the
mountains, sunrises, sunsets, rivers that splashed across the road,
golden beaches, lovely, gentle birds, warm days and cool breezes, water
spouts that burst through the coral, magnificent ocean waves, and much
more. It was simply – beautiful.
A surprise was the rainfall. While we were in
Hanalei, it began to rain, dropping 4.90 inches of rain within 24 hours.
It turned out that there was a landslide preventing us from traveling
further east to a beach we wanted to see, and the bridge we crossed to
the west when we arrived was guarded by policemen, who looked at us with
stern eyes and told us “the bridge is flooded. You can’t cross.” Neither
could anybody else, and the owners and workers in the local stores
couldn’t get to work. The one little market never opened; and it was the
same for the restaurants and everything else. A local café did open
briefly and we were able to buy tostada take-outs for the evening. Even
though it rained, it was sufficiently warm, and the skies were
beautiful. There was a misty, fun quality to everything that was –
beautiful.
I worked on my “Christian-fiction” book about
the Pre-Flood world while we were there, especially during the
rainstorm, managing to do one and one-half edits of the whole thing
within the week. Now I have to find a publisher. Send me an email if you
know one. It’s a beautiful feeling – my book is done!
Soon it was Sunday and it was time to attend
church. There were three choices and we went to the one with the
beautiful stained glass windows in an old, quaint building, where the
service was at just the right time for us – 10 AM. I’ll make an attempt
to pronounce the name – it was the “Wai’oli Hui’ia”
Church. There was no sermon on that particular day, for the church
members were acting out parts, dressed up in clothing everyone could
agree was probably typical for the area of Jerusalem, in about the year
30 AD.
It was a very nice service. Children played the
parts of angels, wise men, Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, and more. They
forgot their lines, walked to the wrong places on stage, had to be
picked up and placed in the right place, sang off key, and I thought all
of it was beautiful because it reminded me of how we must appear to
Almighty God. We build cathedrals with stained-glass windows, but we
forget to love. We write books about God, but often have less hope in
Him than we should. We devise church programs, but tend to have little
faith.
But the good news is that just like I enjoyed
that church service in Hanalei, Almighty God loves you and me. He loves
us anyway. He loves us just as we are, when we simply trust in His Son.
The intelligent can find Him and so can those who are considered less
bright. And this good news is what this season is all about over much of
the world. It’s not at all about how perfectly we can do things or how
clever we might think we are. It’s about the Advent of the beautiful Son
of God, who came to this earth to give us love and set us free. He loves
you enough and has the amazing grace to find you altogether beautiful in
His sight.
2000 years ago, something incredible happened.
The “eyes” of human beings saw “the King in His beauty” (Isaiah 33:17). He gave up
everything that we would call valuable, leaving the security of eternity
to become, for our sakes, a human baby, vulnerable, helpless, unable to
effectively communicate, dependent on first-time parents; just as other
babies are. At first, He initially couldn’t dress Himself, for He needed
help with everything. He was just what you would expect a human baby to
be. He was not necessarily an outwardly beautiful child, for Scripture
says about this God-man who came in human form, “when
we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him” (Isaiah
53:2). "Beauty" is the heart of God.
“The King” grew up
in the confines of a small town, the backwoods life of a lowly, rural
carpenter. His mom was chosen by God for great honor, but here on earth
He and his mother lived with the reality that she had a “questionable”
reputation in the eyes of the local townspeople. His stepfather, the
good man whose name was Joseph, disappeared early from the pages of
Scripture, suggesting that the young Jesus knew what it was like to have
the grief and mourning associated with the loss of a father to human
death. Are you experiencing grief from the loss of a loved one? – Speak
to God about it in prayer, for Jesus who is God the Son knows exactly
how you feel.
Joseph and Mary, in the years of their marriage,
had other sons and daughters (Matthew 13:55-56), “who
did not believe in Him” (John7:5). They didn’t believe what Mary
and Joseph had said about Jesus’ birth. They didn’t WANT to believe that
He was somehow the Son of God. He came into a family where He was that
“other brother,” the one that His siblings didn’t like to talk about.
There were great angelic promises made before and after His birth,
suggesting that He was going to be a man of unprecedented greatness. His
brothers felt embarrassed by all this and rejected Him. Have you been
rejected by someone you love? – Tell Jesus about it. He knows what your
feelings are all about and you are all beautiful in His sight. He is
your Friend. You can trust in Him. “Beauty”
is the Lord's love for you.
In the context of our Scripture for today, God,
through the prophet Isaiah, contrasts those who refuse to have simple
trust in the love and purposes of the Lord, with those who want Him and
will give their hearts to Him. When you discover the truth, that you
were designed to live in relationship with God and are willing to trust
in Him, “Your eyes will see the King in His
beauty; they will see the land that is very far off” (Isaiah
33:17). Do you want to see the beautiful King of glory? Do you want to
catch a glimpse of the future and “see” the
“land” that will be your home forever? Then
trust in the Lord right now. You’ll be glad you did.
Dear Lord, forgive me of my sins. I give my
heart and life to You. Thank You for Your beautiful love for me. I trust
in You now and praise Your Holy Name. In Jesus Name. Amen.
