Beautiful

My Heart Overflows

The glorious beauty of the gospel is something that never grows old. Throughout our lives, the gospel remains a fountain of grace and a continual reminder of our value to our Maker. Its glorious refrain echoes continually in our soul; it becomes our only boast and our only fuel for living. We hear the song with each breath we take. We were broken; He was perfect. We were poor; He possessed everything. We were weak; He alone was strong. One reason the gospel is so precious is that it so clearly reveals the nature of our Father in heaven. In it, we see God’s tender compassion and mercy for the weak and needy. We also see His limitless strength as He goes far beyond the call of duty to win back His treasure. The invitation to receive the gospel is not a one-time experience. There is always a deeper heart understanding that is possible. As pastor C.J. Mahaney exhorts, “Never be content with your current grasp of the gospel. The gospel is the life- permeating, world-altering, universe-changing truth. It has more facets than a diamond. Its depths man will never exhaust.”

The deeper we experience and receive the gospel, the more our hearts are compelled
to respond. What are some authentic responses of a heart that has truly been touched by the reality of what Jesus has done? A heart may be deeply touched with genuine gratitude that wells up from within. Tears may fall as a person struggles to comprehend the immensity of the self-giving love of God. Songs of thanksgiving and praise may explode your lips as you bubble over with new life and hope. We may solemnly come into a humbling and holy silence, as the true Hero of the story is revealed and we see His utter goodness and glory. These responses are all ultimately expressions of the same thing. There is only one response for the heart that has truly received the gospel: Worship.

Read Psalm 45: 1-4, underline what is highlighted to you as you read, and then answer the following questions:

“1 My heart is overflowing with a good theme; I recite my composition concerning the King; My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.

2 You are fairer than the sons of men;
Grace is poured upon Your lips;
Therefore God has blessed You forever.
3 Gird Your sword upon Your thigh, O Mighty One, With Your glory and Your majesty.

4 And in Your majesty ride prosperously because of truth, humility, and righteousness; and Your right hand shall teach You awesome things.”

1) What does verse 1 tell us about ourselves?

2) The “You” in verse 2 prophetically refers to Jesus. What do verses 2-4 tell us about Him?

The call to worship is not a command. A person can no more generate an expression
of true worship than a volcano can be told to erupt. True worship comes from within, and it emerges as we receive the reality of who Jesus is and what He has done for us. It bubbles over as we let it impact us beyond our rational understanding and settle deep into our souls. In the words of John Piper, “Worship is a way of gladly reflecting back to God the radiance of his worth. This cannot be done by mere acts of duty. It can be done only when spontaneous affections arise in the heart.” Let your heart overflow! In the passage of Psalm 45, the word “overflow” is the Hebrew word “rachash,” meaning to stir, to gush up, and to keep moving. In this passage, we see an invitation to keep flowing with the worship that comes from a fresh revelation of the object of our worship, Jesus Himself. We do this in tandem with the Holy Spirit, who God has poured into our hearts at the moment of our conversion. As Jesus said in John7:37-38 “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”

When we focus on Jesus, the object of our worship, one of the first things we will see
is His beauty. Our passage above declares “You are fairer than the sons of men!” This phrase alone is worthy of centuries of meditation. Psalm 29:2 declares “Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name; Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.” Reflect back on your response to question 2 above. Take time to consider the following question: What about Jesus is most beautiful to you?

Why?

The beauty of Jesus compelled the Psalmist David and has been the inspiration for countless saints, worshippers, artists, and missionaries who have sought to express through song, art, and laid down lives the worth of Jesus. There are just not enough ways to express the worship that Jesus is worthy of. For David, it became His life passion. In Psalm 27:4 he declares, “One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple.”

Growing in the revelation of Jesus’ beauty is a life-long invitation. There is literally always more to see of Him. And the more we see, the more we will naturally respond with worship that flows like living waters from our hearts. This worship arises as a pure fragrance before God, erupting forth and joining the chorus of all creation, the saints who have gone before, and the heavenly hosts who stand before Lord. Take a moment to ask God to reveal Jesus to you in a deeper way than you’ve known Him before. Lay down your old definitions of worship, and begin to ask Him for the genuine overflow of the heart that is forever undone by His mercy, His beauty, and His strength.

Pray.