Love is Beautiful

Have you ever thought about what is true beauty?  We catch a glimpse of it in eyes
that shine and in words that truly encourage. We hear it in wisdom

Desert Rose

as we feel its peace. Genuine excitement reflects its power. Whenever we look for God He can be found even in the
vast wilderness of this world.

The title of the book of Numbers is translated 'In The Wilderness' from Hebrew ('Bemidbar') and that it is! At the end of Exodus, God came down from Mt Sinai and filled the tabernacle that had been made according to His directions. It was a transportable tent to be taken on their journey to the land promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The time frames for Exodus and Leviticus are very short compared to the +38 years of this book describing the trek through the wilderness. The people got to the edge of the promised land, but because of fear in their own hearts they could not go in. Thus, what should have been a much shorter journey becomes drawn out.

God has previously expressed His heart to provide for and  interact with His people many, many times through the ages. Mt Sinai has come and gone. Archeologists disagree today about where it was located. Maybe its location is no longer important to God.  Yes, it is the place where the burning bush appeared to Moses and where Moses received the 10 commandments and guidelines for living. But once God had done that, He stepped down right in the middle of them to be their God.

For God to be God to His people, he asked for free-will devotion and adherence to His way of right. He was and is not tolerant of evil, but He is forgiving. He designed the universe, he ought to know how to navigate it.

Much has happened to humanity since the days of Moses, but the wilderness hasn't changed too much. God has given us a great path to follow through the the ultimate sacrifice of His son, Jesus Christ. His desire for us is to be His sons with power to overcome fear and to relate to Him not only as some entity in our midst, but relationally in our hearts.

The world is not very peaceful nor very encouraging. It still is a wilderness. God is still God and he is everywhere where there is a heart to live in. His wisdom continues to be extended and every morning we can rise with genuine excitement for the day. The love of God is the most beautiful thing in the world.