The longing of every human heart is to see the face of God.
The Psalms describe this longing in miriad ways:
"As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God"
"O God, you are my God, I seek you, my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water"
"In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forevermore"
Moses, when meeting the Lord on Mt. Sinai, makes this bold request - "Show me your glory, I pray".
The world's religions demonstrate the search for God, seeking the Creator who we all intuitively know will fulfill our desires.
But in the Song of Songs, Our Lord's heart is revealed in a mysterious and beautiful way:
He longs for you.
Like a child anticipating Christmas morning - you are the gift He desires to receive.
Like a father missing His child.
Like a bridegroom waiting for His bride.
When the God of the universe formed you, He did it lovingly.
The One who is fully complete in Himself, who needs nothing to be satisfied, delights in you - your face, your voice.
As much as you may desire to know Him, His joy is found in drawing near to you.
In four days, we celebrate the stooping down of He Who Is, seeking us out when we were lost. Taking on our humble humanity to offer us His Glorious Divinity, in an act of extravagant Love that continues to this day.
But He can't draw near to us - He can't delight in our presence - without our being prepared to receive Him. This is a life-long process of stripping away all that separates us; distracts us; turns us away from Him.
Being made holy; radiant; beautiful. Like a bride the morning of her wedding day - she is already beautiful in the eyes of her beloved, but she desires to please him all the more.
Will you find your joy in delighting Him, simply by allowing Him to form you into a Saint? Will you give Him the great pleasure of seeing your face and hearing your voice in all its beauty?
No comments:
Post a Comment