Psalm 96:9
Oh, worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness! Tremble before Him, all the earth.

Over the years we have had the opportunity to take many missions trips to Bachiniva (Bah-she-knee-vah), Mexico. Bachiniva is a little town in the heart of the state of Chihuahua, population of about 2,400 people. When most people think of traveling to Mexico they most often think about the water. In fact, we know that it is common to warn most anyone who is heading there, "Don't drink the water!". We all laugh a bit at it, but the reality is that if a person isn't careful about the water they drink, they can get very sick, because the water is so impure. When we take teams into Mexico, we always purchase bottled water that is 100% pure, in order to prevent anyone from getting sick.

When I consider this beautiful Psalm, and the words the beauty of his holiness, I cannot help but think of the 'purity'of the Lord. There is nothing that quite satisfies our thirst more than a pure glass of water. It quenches our thirst like no other, and so it is with the Lord. Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well that He was the one who offers 'living water'. He said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water (the physical water from the well) will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst...the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life," John 4:13-14.

Jesus is our only source for such living water, for everlasting life. When we receive Jesus, we will never thirst spiritually again. As a result of our faith in Him, we are made pure, and able to come before the Lord, in the beauty of (His) holiness. What an amazing and glorious truth this is!

Oh Lord, we marvel that we can come and worship you. We praise you and thank you that you have made us pure, through our faith in Jesus. Draw us near to your heart this week, in order that we might fully experience 'the beauty of Your holiness'. In Jesus' name, Amen.

How I pray that you would have a 'thirst quenching' week basking in the holiness of the Lord. May you discover His beauty as you bring your heart before Him in worship. I guarantee you will be greatly encouraged.