Exodus Cry - The Prayer Movement to End Slavery

DO YOU WANT TO SEE HIS BEAUTY?

Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.

Psalm 18:25-26 says, "with the merciful you show yourself merciful; with the blameless man you show yourself blameless; with the purified you show yourself pure; and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous"

There's a connection in scripture between how we posture our hearts before the Lord and how he reveals his nature and character to us.

I find God absolutely beautiful and irresistible. I want to see more of His beauty and I want to know that He finds me irresistible. I want to know just how desirable I am to Him. This is one revelation of His heart I want to increase in my life. So how must I 'show' myself to Him? What is the proper posture for this hungry heart if I'm after an increased revelation of His beauty? To be drawn further into this massive heart that I find so absolutely irresistible where do I go? Where does He set His gaze? To the beautiful does He show Himself beautiful?....that can't be right.

I've found that He keeps taking me to Psalm 45, to where I set my gaze. I used to look at the sunset, or a mountain range and it would bring me to tears as I would immediately be drawn to the reality of HIS BEAUTY, "if this is simply your handy work then how beautiful you must be!" But eventually He makes you so hungry, the ache gets so deep that this is no longer as fascinating, you need to see HIS FACE, his fiery eyes…for REAL! How do I press past my holy imaginations and grip the very threads of His garment, see if His hand trembles as I'm filling the bottle that holds my tears, and see for myself what He's written in His Book concerning me….how do I go there? In what ways must I invite Him to rip my heart, so that He'll unveil His heart to me? Again, He takes me to Psalm 45.

If you've ever read the Book of Revelation (I hope you have) there's two scenes occuring simultaneously. The scene in heaven and the scene on earth. We can see what's going on in heaven while we read about what's happening on the earth. It's very glorious in heaven, very turbulent on the earth- both with the same wonderful result being accomplished in the end, the marriage of the Lamb!

In Part II of this article there is a very turbulent scene on earth as well, but here in part I we look at our Beautiful One, as our hearts overflow with a pleasing theme....."You are the most handsome of the sons of men....GIRD YOUR SWORD ON YOUR THIGH, OH MIGHTY ONE IN YOUR SPLENDOR AND MAJESTY! In Your majesty ride out victoriuosly for the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness...You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness, therefore God has annointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions, your robes are all fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia......the King will desire your beauty.....she is led to the King." psalm 45.

I have been given the down payment of my inheritance,(eph 1:14) and I want a taste in this life (Heb6:5). I want more of this beautiful man! I want more out of those ancient songs that David wrote than just some pretty poetry. I need to find the one my soul is aching for in those pages. I must find Him in this living book! So what price can I pay? Who has said, Lord I'll do anything, I want all of you to this Psalm 45 Jesus who is fairer than the sons of men? In Isaiah 53 we're told that He had no beauty that we should desire Him, so it must take a revelation. In part II we'll consider where to set our gaze, that we might draw the gaze of this beautiful God Man, and have His amazing heart revealed to us in new and unexpected ways.

part II

Are you truly in love with this psalm 45 Jesus?

"You are fairer than the sons of men", but what must we do to perceive his beauty? We said in part one that we'd consider a few things. One being the 'turbulent' scene on the earth.

Perhaps your heart is not yet fully gripped by the reality of what is happening to the weak and vulnerable of our world. First, let me give you some facts and statistics. Human trafficking is the second biggest money producer for organized crime. It is second only to drugs and has recently passed the illegal arms trade. Experts say it is well on its way to becoming the number one money maker for organized crime. One reason is because drugs and arms can only be sold one time, a human body can be sold again and again.

The United Nations estimates that 4 million women and children are trafficked around the world every year, meaning that EVERY 30 SECONDS another person becomes a victim! Government corruption is a huge contributing factor and many cases have come up where government officials and police officers have been found complicit in the slave trade.

The problem fueling this is the demand for sex. For example, sex tourism, a demand for prostitution among military forces in areas of territorial occupation, major sporting events such as the Olympics or the Super Bowl, and on and on the list goes.

The earths weakest, poorest and most vulnerable are at risk. Women in Eastern Europe or South America living collapsed economies are often decieved as they look for work. They cross a border into a neighboring country supposing they are applying for work cleaning a hotel or as a domestic end up in forced prostitution.

Do you still say, "Jesus, I want all of you, show me your heart?"

Perhaps if we move away from statistics and look at how human trafficking effects people on a more personal level.

In Thailand, when a girl as young as 7 is kidnapped, or worse, sold by her village because the crops failed that year and the village chief made each family sell 1 child so they don't starve, she is then 'seasoned' by being kept in a room with no windows for up to 2 years-not allowed to leave for anything, servicing up to 12 customers a day. It only takes moments to kidnap a little girl, but two years…is this how long it takes to rob a soul? If rescued, her family may not accept her back. She is considered refuse because of what she has been used for.

In Cambodia, a family can sell their daughter for as little as an amount equivalent to $10 US dollars. Electric shock is frequently used with young women as the violence of choice in brothels, as it doesn't leave marks on their bodies, thereby devaluing the goods. Oh how they devalue human lives, but they are so careful not to make a mark on their body that could cost them in profits.

Or what about the children, who once rescued continue to go into catatonic states, sometimes every 15 minutes? They are still hardwired to slip into their coping mechanism. My mind cannot comprehend such emotional damage. I look at my beautiful 7 year old daughter and cry. I can't help but think about the 9 year old girl in India I read about who was crippled from being raped so many times in a brothel at such a young age.

There were 3 young women in Argentina who escaped from the brothel where they were held captive. They couldn't run to local police since they were regular clients at this brothel. They instead went to the town of Moreno where Police refused to file a complaint, instead calling the brothel they escaped from to tell them what was going on. The women were able to make it to the third town where police did file a complaint but only did so under duress.

Who will fight for these women and children? Who will tell them that they are worth something when every encounter from their kidnapper, to their purchaser, to their pimp to the clients, to those who are supposed to represent justice are saying to them you are worth nothing. Even the families the communities that so often won't recieve them back. How do we let them know that there is One who is fighting for them. That there is someone who finds them so valuable, so beautiful, so desirable and He fought for them to death! He wouldn't sell them for $10 dollars or because the crops failed, instead He poured out His blood to purchase them! He would never deceive them and ensnare them, there's no shadow of turning in Him. PUT YOUR HEART OUT THERE AND LET HIM BREAK IT! OH DEAR ONE, I PLEAD WITH YOU! If you say you love Him and you want all of Him, then move with the beatings and the longings of His heart, and go where He goes, this meek and lowly one that we find so beautiful. THIS IS THE JESUS OF PSALM 45!. Let's proclaim Him to the lowest, the weakest, the neediest, and not shrink back from letting this issue break our hearts. He didn't shrink back from giving everything for you!

For those who look Him straight in the eyes and choose to love all of Him, regardless of the cost, and there is a cost, He will begin to reveal Himself to you in ways that go beyond anything you've imagined, for He would never withold kindness from a friend (Job 6:14). This is how we posture our hearts before this beautiful, irresistable God. We dive into His amazing Heart by going where He is, and He is with the weak, the poor, the suffering, the broken, those in bondage. He is with those who have no voice, who don't even know there is someone who is coming for them, who is strong and beautiful, who brings justice for them once and for all! Dive into this heart by peering into their world, I guarntee He's peering into it. He will unveil the layers of His unsearchable beautiful glorious heart for you and to you!

I can't wait to marry this one who is so magnificent...so I will weep with Him now, and I will rule and reign with Him later. Jesus come.