How to Be "Comely"

 

Interesting word from Psalm 33:1 - “Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous, for praise is COMELY for the upright.” Webster’s defines “comely” as having “a pleasant appearance” and lists these synonyms...They can apply to male or femaleJ:

 “ attractive, beauteous, beautiful, bonny, cute, drop-dead gorgeous, fair, fetching, good, good-looking,goodly,gorgeous,handsome, knockout, likely, lovely, lovesome, pretty, ravishing, stunning, well-favored”

 If today you feel you need something to make you beautiful, practice praising the Lord. Focus on Him. We know how lovely and attractive a young parent’s face is gazing down at his or her newborn baby (and we are going to have twin great-grands in May or June;-).  There is nothing so beautiful!

 But gazing at our dear Lord should totally change our countenances. “When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord.” (Exodus 34:29) I have a quote right by my desk. Perhaps I have shared it with you before... maybe on a card.

 

This past semester, I have been studying the book of Nehemiah with a ladies’ group. The bravery and courage of Nehemiah when someone needed to take a stand to save God’s city of Jerusalem and to change the direction of the Israelites spiritually is needed today! Our memory verse for the class was Nehemiah 9:5b-6. This is exactly what helped Nehemiah in his daily challenges to motivate the people to WORK, in spite of strong opposition. If you don’t know this book, it is a learning experience for you. Don’t let the lists of names keep you from reading it. His prayers and petitions to the Lord can be prayed by us.

 So to be “comely,” or beautiful, or handsome, or drop-dead gorgeous, look at these verses and take them to heart. FOCUS on the God Who made you to praise Him. Nehemiah 9:5b-6 covers it all:

“Blessed be your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. ⁶ You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.”

 What else do we need to change our outlook and our countenance to joy and thanksgiving? You can be “comely” all through these holidays, no matter your circumstances. Focus on our dear Lord and it will show!

--Maylou Holladay