I’m always searching. Always studying. Constantly reading. I simply can’t get enough of God. It’s an insatiable appetite that I feel confident will not be satisfied this side of eternity, but it won’t be for lack of trying. And this past weekend, with much expectation, was no exception. True Woman is a conference that doesn’t happen annually. So when it does happen, it’s extra special. I’m a huge fan of Jackie Hill Perry. Her theology is sound, her vocabulary floats between sounding like Shakespeare one minute and a 90’s thug the next, and she always challenges my thinking. When I found out she was speaking at True Woman, the decision was made. Another bonus was added when I discovered that Blair Wingo Linne would also be on the program. Now this takes nothing away from Nancy Leigh DeMoss Wolgemuth, the founder of True Woman. I’ve always appreciated her radio program and found her teaching to be solid. But comparing these ladies would be like comparing Jo Polniaczek on Facts of Life to Mary Ingalls on Little House. Can’t do it.
The world has been a bit unhinged lately. If you aren’t careful, you can easily find yourself teetering on a ledge that you weren’t even aware existed. We question our thinking. Our friends may not be who we thought they were. Our theology is brought into question. Maybe we’re stuck in a vortex that tosses and turns us to the point that we don’t know up from down. In all of the confusion and hysteria, we engage in ways that put our witness at risk. Or the opposite might also happen. We close ourselves off from everyone and everything and fester in seclusion. Neither of these are healthy places to be. But what’s the answer? Is there an answer?
When was the last time you used the word “behold”? It appears at least 1,100 times in the Bible, which probably implies that we need to pay attention. To behold is to “fix our eyes” or “fix our attention” on something. Do you know how to behold Him? Have you ever tried? What would happen if you did?
I’ve written countless times about personal reflection and examining my own heart. There can’t be revival on a bigger scale until we’ve done the painful task of reviving our own hearts. Many turn to self-help books, desperately seeking recommendations and suggestions. And although some of those might deliver a sliver of sound information, for the most part, they still get it wrong. They get it wrong. We get it wrong, because we start with the wrong measure.
I can’t see the depravity of my own heart, the deceit in my selfish intentions, or any other sin if I don’t first BEHOLD HIM. Only when I fix my eyes and my attention on Him do I even begin to fathom the riches, the glory, the majesty that belong to Him and Him alone. When I behold Him, everything else suddenly comes into proper perspective.
When our spouse dies, but we behold Him. When our child is a prodigal, but we behold Him. When our friends betray us, but we behold Him. When the cancer causes unbearable pain, but we behold Him. When we’re frustrated with our coworkers, but we behold Him. When prayer doesn’t come easily, but we behold Him. When people want to hear about anything and everything except Jesus, but you behold Him. When our finances aren’t what we planned, but we behold Him. We weren’t made to fix any of those things. We were made, we were created, to behold Him. And when we behold Him, that’s when we discover that nothing else matters. No online argument or news headline matters. No tactic of the enemy or scheme of the same. No distraction. Nothing.
Jackie spoke on Friday night and, in true fashion, with tears streaming down her cheeks, she brought a reverent hush to a crowd of 6,000 women. Complete silence. No one wanted to leave. No one moved. All because we stopped to BEHOLD HIM. She could’ve chosen to speak on a number of timely topics. She could’ve drawn a line in the sand with her words on hot-button issues. But she chose obedience. And she chose to usher us into that obedience with her to BEHOLD HIM.
Jeremiah 32:27 ~ Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?