Well, the proofing has ended and galleys are headed back into publisher. Shouldn’t be long now, but in case you wanted another sneak peak, here is one of I really like:
Day 122 Psalm 27:4 Think about the most beautiful views you have ever seen. Like a sunset. Remember the details: the colors, the clouds, the sun as it slowly dipped below the horizon, the birds casting their shadow as they flew across the sky. Then think about a painting you have seen, that you consider beautiful. Visualize the brush strokes, the blending of hues, the shadows and shapes upon the canvas or print. How about scenic vistas, what do you remember in that category? And what jewels do you consider beautiful: a glittering diamond, the deep green of an emerald, the silky sheen of a pearl? What about the beauty of the night sky, the crescent moon, aurora flares, shooting stars? Or the pictures you have seen of the distant planets and galaxies, like he red of Mars, the rings of Saturn, the bands of Jupiter, the flaming arches from the sun, the spiral of distant galaxies? What about the beauty that is found in human beings? Who was the most beautiful woman or handsome man you have ever seen? What made that person beautiful in your eyes? The flowing hair, the strong muscles, the shining eyes? Or maybe you saw inner beauty that made him or her such a wonderful person. An early morning view across the Grand Canyon or from the campground at the bottom, a rainbow in Niagara Falls, snow capped mountain peaks, shady forest trails with mossy ground, the smiles of my children….those are a few of my images, what are yours? What would you call the most beautiful scene you have ever observed? Recall that image to your mind, filling in the details of your memory. I have asked you to recall these to help you solidify your own sense of beauty in the world. Now I want to take that sense and ask you to amplify it…..amplify it millions of times. What would something that beautiful be like? Can you imagine? If you can, push even further, to an unimaginable beauty. You have now begun to arrive at the beauty of the Lord. Everything you have ever seen that you would consider beautiful derives its beauty from the ultimate beauty that is God. This is part of the notion that the heavens declare the glory of God. His beauty is reflected dimly in the glorious beauty we see here on earth. If you could combine the beauty of all the sunsets and sunrises, add the beauty of all the earth’s natural wonders, then include all the rest of the beautiful things that exist, you would get a faint glimpse of just how beautiful our God is. That is probably why John had such a hard time describing heaven in Revelation that he could only compare it to the most precious gemstones he had ever seen: golden streets, gates of pearl…..ultimate and indescribable beauty, that is heaven, that is God!!
