Beholding
Definition of beholding - it means more than simply seeing with your eyes. It means to gaze upon with focused attention. To observe carefully and thoughtfully. To contemplate deeply. To perceive with both the mind and the heart. To look upon something in a way that changes you.
To behold is to linger, to take in, to marvel, and to allow what you are seeing to affect you.
2 Corithians 3:18 - Paul writes, "But we all with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory."
Here, beholding is not a quick look. It is a continuous gaze upon the Lord that results in transformation.
The principle is simple: What we consistently behold, we come influenced by.
Mary Beholding God's Work
Mary didn't simply hear the angel's message and forget it. She treasured and pondered God's words in her heart. She continually reflected on what God was doing.
Moses Beholding God's Glory
When Moses met with God on Mount Sinai, he spent time in God's presence. As a result, his face radiated God's glory. Moses didn't just visit God's presence, he remained there long enough to be changed by it.
David Beholding God's Beauty
"One thing have I desired of the Lord, to behold the beaut of the Lord" Psalm 27:4
David wasn't seeking information about God. He desired to gaze upon God's beauty, character, and presence.
Spiritual Application
When you read a scripture slowly, meditate on it, pray through it, and carry it with you throughout the day, you are beholding God's truth. When you sit quietly in God's presence and focus your heart on Him rather than your problems, you are beholding him. When worship moves beyond singing words and becomes an awareness of God's goodness and glory, you are beholding Him.
A Devotional Thought
Beholding is the bridge between hearing about God and experiencing God.
Looking informs us. Beholding transforms us. As we behold His love, we become more loving. As we behold His mercy, we become more merciful. As we behold his faithfulness, our trust grows stronger. As we behold His glory, we are changed into his likeness.
The invitation of scripture is not merely to study God from a distance, but to behold Him, gaze upon Him with the eyes of the heart until His nature, character, and glory leave their imprint upon our lives.