Oceans in the Desert

By Kathi Pelton

As I sat with the Lord this morning— I saw him gazing upon his people and his face was filled with awe and wonder at their beauty. He wasn’t looking at the flaws we see, the shortcomings we are keenly aware of or at the imperfections— all he saw was flawless beauty!

Then I felt his longing for us to understand the beauty that he sees in us— to comprehend the vision that he has when he looks upon us.

“You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you.” Song of Solomon 4:7

Our eyes see the flaws but his eyes do not. We are altogether beautiful to him! Often we treat ourselves (and one another) according to the flaws we see rather than the beauty that he sees— he longs for this to change.

“…The LORD doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:17

One of my first encounters with God was a year or more before I fully gave my life to him. I was a teenager that was involved with all sorts of things that I should not have been doing— mostly because I just didn’t know another way. I didn’t understand the grace of salvation and that he had paid the price for my sin. A friend, who was a Believer, had given me a Christian album by Keith Green and I had thrown it into my car with no intention of listening to it. But one night when I was about 16 years old, I was driving home alone and I reached down to get music to play, accidentally grabbing the Keith Green album. I put it in and these are the words that I began to hear,

—For when I hear the praises start
I want to rain upon you
Blessings that will fill your heart
I see no stain upon you
Because you are my child and you know me
To Me you’re only holy
Nothing that you’ve done remains
Only what you do for Me—

When the words, ”I see no stain upon you…” hit my ears, it was as if God came into my little car and spoke those words straight to my heart. I did not even know him yet— but he was prophesying over me— he was showing me how he saw me and what he could do for me. He wasn’t looking at all of my stains— he was hearing my heart cry to be pure, to be holy, to be seen without stain. I began to weep and though I did not change my ways right away— I began to have encounters with God’s love and how he saw me from that day onward— until I was convinced that my shame and flaws could be covered and washed by his blood.

This is why we need to return to first love! First love has eyes that look beyond the flaws and see only beauty. Just as I came to understand that his love and blood were enough to cover my nakedness (my shame, my flaws, my sin) in those first years of knowing him…will I now believe that he sees me differently? Will you believe that his compassion has changed, the depth of his love has changed or his covering has been removed? Do you think he now sees the stains?

May it never be that we look upon our lives with eyes of shame— or on another with eyes of shame that uncover them and expose them. Do we think for even a moment that because we’ve walked with the Lord for many years that he’s grown weary of us and now sees us “for who we really are”? NO! His blood still covers us completely and we are seen without flaws— without blemishes because of his righteousness. His love has not decreased at all.

His compassion and his adoration of us is as strong as in those first days. His Spirit still helps us to grow and to be transformed, but he sees us as he made us— even now.

I will never forget being that 16 year old who longed to be accepted by Jesus but didn’t think that I could be. I will never forget the moment that he came into my car to say, “I see no stain upon you.” And now, forty years later, he is still saying those words— to me and to you. “I see no stain upon you.”

You are altogether lovely! You are beautiful and flawless before his eyes. Wash out your lenses that have been tainted with accusations and shame— behold what he is beholding when he sees you— flawless beauty!

You are adored.

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