Autumn carries more gold in its pocket than all the other seasons. ~Jim Bishop

This picture, a vivid visual of what makes autumn “POP!” was taken at the Farmer’s Market a few years ago. A perfect place to inspect your favorite flavor of apples, scan for those yummy pecans, peruse mounds of beautifully colored Mums and pick the best pumpkins for decorating your porch. But even more rewarding at this time of year with shortened days is to not shorten our time with “seeing and savoring” our Savior. This indeed is where we reap the greatest satisfaction.

O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for You; my whole body longs for You in this parched and weary land where there is no water. I have seen You in Your sanctuary and gazed upon Your power and glory. Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I praise You! I will praise You as long as I live, lifting up my hands to You in prayer. You satisfy me more than the richest feast, I will praise you with songs of joy. I lie awake thinking of you, meditating on You through the night. Because You are my helper, I sing for joy in the shadow of Your wings. I cling to You; Your strong right hand holds me securely.                                                                       Psalm 63:1-8, NLT

In his book, Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ, John Piper wrote about seeking the Lord:

            The deepest longing of the human heart is to know and enjoy the glory of God. We were made for this. “Bring My sons from afar and My daughters from the ends of the earth . . . whom I created for My glory” (Isaiah 43:6-7). [Did you catch that? Created FOR MY GLORY] To see it, to savor it, and to show it—that is why we exist. . . . We were made to know and treasure the glory of God above all things; and when we trade that treasure for images, everything is disordered. The sun of God’s glory was made to shine at the center of the solar system of our soul. And when it does, all the planets of our life are held in their proper orbit. But when the sun is displaced, everything flies apart. The healing of the soul begins by restoring the glory of God to its flaming, all-attracting place at the center.            We are all starved for the glory of God, not self. No one goes to the Grand Canyon to increase self-esteem. Why do we go? Because there is greater healing for the soul in beholding the splendor than there is in beholding self. Indeed, what could be more ludicrous in a vast and glorious universe like this than a human being, on the speck called earth, standing in front of a mirror trying to find significance in his own self-image? It is a great sadness that this is the gospel of the modern world. But it is not the Christian Gospel. . . . The Christian Gospel is about “the glory of Christ,” not about me. And when it is–in some measure—about me, it is not about my being made much of by God, but about God mercifully enabling me to enjoy making much of him forever.”

God, you alone quench our thirsty souls. As we live in this dry and weary land, we will continually seek your face. We long to see your power and glory in our lives because your lovingkindness is better than life. Therefore, we will praise you with our lips as our thoughts are saturated with you… For the glory of your name we pray. Amen. (Holman Old Testament Commentary)