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just behold Him

Hi everyone! I’m back, and I promise this won’t be another 26 minute read. I mean I could probably find that many words again in a heartbeat, but I'll keep this short and sweet. I just have a few thoughts I’ve been pondering lately, and I wanted to share!

The Lord has been calling me to slow down recently, and not just because of social distancing and staying at home. He’s asking me to slow down in my prayer, and the Father has recently been presenting a single word to me in a variety of ways in order to communicate that message. It’s a word we all know, and it is found all throughout Scripture, but I think we often overlook it. At least I know I do. It is a simple command yet more intricate than we realize in meaning.


And it has absolutely stopped me in my tracks.

Behold.

That’s it. That’s the word. Behold.

I miss in person Mass SO much right now, it’s not even funny. However, I have the opportunity to watch on Facebook live every day, which means I have the opportunity to hear and pray the prayers every day. Right before receiving Holy Communion, the priest says this: “Behold the Lamb of God. Behold Him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.” I hear that phrase every day, but it wasn’t until a couple of days ago that I stumbled upon exactly where the beginning of that phrase is found in Scripture.

I just finished reading Acts all the way through, and I decided to start John. To give some context, after the beautiful passage about the Word becoming flesh, John the Apostle tells us John the Baptist was baptizing people in the Jordan River, and all of a sudden, he saw Jesus coming toward him. In John 1:29 he said, “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world,” and I was so stuck on this command I could barely finish reading the rest of the passage.

You see, there is a difference between beholding and looking, or in my mind there is. I think we save the word behold for when we are speaking of beauty – of something worthy of being gazed upon. We don’t behold things we see as having little value. Rather, we behold the beautiful. John doesn’t just say “Look, guys! It’s Jesus!” While that is probably what I would have said, John takes the time to search for better words. He recognizes that Jesus deserves more than a quick glance. Our King is worthy of so much more than we could ever give.

Do not merely look. Behold. Behold the Lamb of God. Behold Him who takes away the sins of the world. Behold the One who became the perfect sacrifice for all of mankind. Behold the Messiah who laid down His life that we might live. Behold the King who desires intimacy with each and every single one of us, so much so that He gave us His Body.

Do not just glance at Him, behold Him. Breathe Him in. Gaze upon His beauty. Sit in His glory. Step OUT of yourself and INTO His radiance. And then, allow Him to gaze back at you. Allow yourself to be seen. Allow the light of His gaze to pierce every crevice of your soul because HE beholds YOU as His beloved and there is no reason to hide. This is a reminder I am receiving often.

There is a song titled Love Song for the Bride by Brother Isaiah, and it is exactly what it sounds like: Brother Isaiah’s interpretation of a beautiful love song written from Christ to His Church. It’s incredible, and I was so caught up in the beauty of the chorus and the lyrics I missed one of the best lines found at the end until my fourth or fifth listen. (I'm one of those find-a-good-song-and-then-listen-to-only-that-song-on-repeat-for-the-next-three-days type of people, and I'm not sorry about it.)


Okay, back to Love Song for the Bride and my new favorite line.


"Behold, the Bridegroom is here."

Pause for just a moment to breathe in the ultimate Giver of life. He is here. He has come. He is worthy of much more than a quick glance, and He desires to meet your gaze.

Too often right now I find myself rushing through prayers, and the Lord is asking me to just simply behold Him. While I can't be at Mass right now, I can behold the beauty of life found all around me that serves only to point back to Him. He is reminding me that He is my only true source of rest, and what a beautiful and much needed reminder that has been.



With Love,

Allison

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