David Yarbrough
Psalm 27:4 (CSB)
I have asked one thing from the Lord; it is what I desire: to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, gazing on the beauty of the Lord and seeking him in his temple.
People going to the zoo and people sitting on a pew have a lot in common. All are seeing and experiencing the same thing on different levels. They have come to see something, to experience on the pew or at the zoo what they otherwise can’t see in their ordinary day-to-day lives. It was such an exciting, fun filled experience years ago when Melissa and I would take the boys to the zoo. Our boys would run from one exhibit to the next. Their eyes would light up with excitement when they would see animals like giraffes and elephants, and they would point with enthusiasm, wanting Melissa and I to see what they were seeing. The excitement of our boys was contagious, and their joyous smiles had a positive impact on our parental hearts. I noticed the other parents were enjoying the same experience as Melissa and I as they watched their kids' eyes light up with wonder. At times, our boys, in their excitement, would hurry through an exhibit and miss the animals that were a little harder to notice. Wanting our children not to miss the full joys of seeing all the animals, we would call them back and point to the high grass or the rocky cleft and say, "See, right there beside the rock in the high grass is the warthog.” And our boys would say, “Oh yeah, I see it.”
In the middle of all the happy parents and children experiencing the wonders of the zoo was another group of people who were even closer to the animals but farther from excitement and wonder. They were the zoo employees. Instead of eyes filled with wonder, they had eyes filled with responsibility, monotony, and drudgery. When we would stop and look over every detail of an exhibit and soak in all the beauty and fascination, the zoo employees would quickly walk by with heads down and eyebrows furrowed. They had places to be and responsibilities to tend to. They had no time to slow down and enjoy the beauty and wonder of it all. They see it every day. They were more focused on what had to be fixed and what needed to be done to maintain the beauty. Two different perspectives in the same place, seeing the same thing but experiencing different realities.
I see the same thing happen in church. Two people sit side by side; one is filled with the wonder and excitement of worship, and the other is distracted, bored, or maybe even offended. One is totally in the moment with God, the other is in a hurried rush to get out of church and be somewhere else. One comes to church with a prepared heart to give God worship and receive His word. The other comes with a heart full of stress, worry, and overwhelming responsibilities. They are in the same place at the same time, experiencing the same church service from two totally opposite perspectives.
How do you approach God? Do you come to Him with a heart that is repentant of sin, ready to give worship, and eyes filled with wonder, desiring to see His glory? When we approach God with our hearts filled with worship and our eyes filled with wonder, He promises that we will see His glory and hear His directions (Prov. 3:5–6).
Remember, dear reader, that life is full of opportunities to discover the wonder of God and the joys of His Kingdom, whether it's in a church pew or the zoo. You have the opportunity today to encounter God in quiet prayer, make wonderful discoveries through Bible study, or breathe in the wonders of His beautiful creation in nature. I encourage you to strive to approach this day with a heart that is ready to give worship and eyes that are filled with wonder. Don't become like the workers at the zoo, who, burdened by the responsibility of maintenance, have lost sight of the wonder and beauty that surround them. But rather, let this serve as a reminder of the daily gift of God's glory that is all around you, and make it your prayer today to abide in His presence and experience His Kingdom as it is ever expanding in your heart.
Psalm 19:1 (CSB)
The heavens declare the glory of God, and the expanse proclaims the work of his hands.