Fear Not, For Behold

“BEHOLD."What a beautiful word used throughout scripture, that is so often missed! In the past, I usually gazed over this word, wanting to jump ahead to the “more important” or the “more exciting” part of the passage! But in 2019, God gave me “BEHOLD” as my word of the year, and I was amazed at the breadth and depth of the meaning.

In Hebrew, “behold” (hinneh) translates to signify:

• When the Lord speaks.

• When a thing is impossible, yet it occurs.

• When something is approaching.

• A way to demonstrate authority.

• When something is here and exists.

• A change in scene or events, and a call to attention.

Perhaps one of the most notable and frequently quoted uses of the word is Luke 2:9-10:

“And an angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, ‘Fear not, for BEHOLD, I bring you good news of great joy, that will be for all the people.” Luke 2:9-10

2020 has been a year filled with “great fear." Anxiety, isolation, sickness, and stress. Loss of jobs. Loss of family members. Financial uncertainty, social unrest, and political division. Fear has surrounded us, and at times – has even overcome us.

In frantic desperation, we look to government leaders for aid and answers. We scroll through social media for inspiration and entertainment. We submerge ourselves in new habits and new hobbies to sustain our hope and distract us from the world that is falling to pieces around us. But no thing or power on earth can deliver us from the captivity of fear.

2,000 years ago, on a dark, silent night on the outskirts of Bethlehem where shepherds were watching their flocks, an angel of the Lord appeared in a blaze of glory. And he said, “Fear not, for behold…”

The angel was a messenger of the Lord. He was signifying that something was approaching. A change in scene and events, and a call to attention. Something was impossible – but yet it occurred.

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:11

After over 400 years of silence between God and His people, the good news of great joy was that a virgin delivered a son, who was Christ the Lord (a fulfillment of God’s promise to David, Jacob, and Abraham). He would be called Emmanuel and would deliver the people from their sins. The only way out of the darkness, was through a Savior who would be the light of the world.

You may be sitting in a season of darkness or brokenness right now. Overwhelmed with fear and grief. Exhausted in the search for answers, and it seems like there is no way through, and no way out.

But “Emmanuel” means “God with us.” God is with you – right here, right now. He is with you in the middle of the your hurt and pain, in the middle of the mess, in the middle of what may be the darkest season of your life.

But when it seems like God is silent – Fear not, for behold, God is with you.

When your circumstances seem impossible – Fear not, for behold, God is with you.

When it seems like nothing will ever change – Fear not, for behold, God is still with you.

This Christmas season, what if we exchanged our greatest fears for the greatest news? What if we lived lives free of fear and full of faith? During what may seem like the darkest and most isolating season our world has seen in awhile, continue shepherding what God has called you to steward. Continue to keep watch for God to manifest Himself in a powerful way. And fear not, for BEHOLD – Christ the Lord, Emmanuel is here with us.

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About the author: Christine Tang

Christine Tang is the founder of lettherebelight and uses her voice as a speaker and writer to encourage women around the world to seek the Lord, centering around how God takes darkness and commands there be light.