I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what he will say to me, and what answer I am to give to this complaint. Then the LORD replied: "Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay. "See, he is puffed up; his desires are not upright— but the righteous will live by his faith. --Habakkuk 2:1-4

This familiar scripture is a great picture of what our heart posture should be as we listen to God’s word for our lives. On January 7, 2001, when I gave the theme message for 2001, we were on the threshold of not only a new year, but also a new century—in fact, a new millennium. (Yes, the new millennium actually started in 2001.) As we stepped across that threshold, it was essential that our hearts be open to the new word God desired to speak to us for a new day in His kingdom. The name of the prophet Habakkuk means “embrace,” and Habakkuk invites us to embrace the word of the Lord in faith, trusting in the righteousness and goodness of God.

Thresholds are always times of transition, and the threshold of the new millennium was certainly no exception. Politically it was—and is—a time of global restlessness. As Jesus described it in Matthew 24:7, “Nation will rise up against nation and kingdom against kingdom.” Sociologically it was and is a time of global anticipation, a palpable sense of great hope and also great fear. Something significant is approaching. Spiritually it was and is a time of global awakening. Jack Hayford writes:

“A century of worshipping the human intellect has ushered in a famine begetting a desperate quest for spiritual meaning. Having been on a society wide ‘forced diet’ rooted in the vain supposition that educational, scientific, or technological advance can satisfy human hunger, innumerable people, like confused sheep, are stampeding toward anything that offers the slightest promise of spirituality. At the same time the Holy Spirit has been surging through the church for an entire century, since January 1st, 1901, flowing revival and renewal, while advancing His reformation.”

As we stand at this threshold, this pivotal point in history, we have the responsibility to press into the heart of God so that we can be like the men of Issachar, who, the Bible says, "understood the times and knew what Israel should do" (I Chronicles 12:40). This means becoming people with accurate perception and understanding, people who take appropriate action. To behold means to have eyes that can clearly see the face of God and clearly apprehend His purposes.

Three key passages formed the scriptural foundation for the theme message of 2001, A Year to Behold. The first was found in Revelation 1, where the apostle John received a vision on the Lord’s Day—Sunday—and beheld the resurrected Christ in the fullness of His glory.

I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone "like a son of man,"[a]dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.

When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades." --Revelation 1:12-18

This revelation of Christ marked the apostle John and introduced and informed the entire Book of Revelation. To see what God is doing, we must first behold Him.

The other key passages were Isaiah 42:1-9 and Isaiah 43:14-21. These are words of hope that were given to a nation and people who had been in the throes of captivity for many years. In Isaiah 42 the prophet began with the words, “Here is my servant” (verse 1) and looked forward to our revelation of Christ. He then went on to speak of what He would do through His people.

This is what God the LORD says—he who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and all that comes out of it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it: "I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness. "I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols. See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you." --Isaiah 42:5-9

A very similar promise is also given in Isaiah 43:14-21, culminating with "See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland."

It is interesting to note that the Hebrew word dabar, which is here translated "thing," has the root meaning of "speaking, speech, or word." It is the same word as that used of the Ten Commandments or the Ten Declarations. In other words, here in Isaiah, the Lord is telling the people of Israel that He is speaking a new word to them. It is springing up before them, and they must behold it. "Open your eyes," the Lord says. "Look!"

And that is the challenge to us today as we continue to walk across the threshold into this new millennium. Our challenge is to open our eyes to look and see Jesus and to seek and discover His new word for this new day. As we gaze upon His face in worship, we are transformed. As we listen to His heartbeat, we join Him in transforming the world around us. Worship and work, come to Him, go with Him. It is still time to behold!

--Pastor Jim