Lo And Behold

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A very common phrase that I remember hearing as a kid is the phrase 'Lo and behold'. No one ever really explained what that meant and I guess I never asked but it always felt like discovery phrase to me. Like 'all of a sudden' or 'can you believe it?!!' A friend said that phrase to me the other day and it made me curious so I started digging around trying to find out where it started and what it really means.

Both lo and behold are words used separately in the Bible. Some say that the word "Lo" was an abbreviation for the word "Look". So the literal translation of that saying is "look and see". At a glance you might think that's a bit redundant. Don't they both mean the same thing?! I think there are many times that we can look without actually seeing?!! Yosef Baskin said, "I believe that lo means look, and behold means to absorb then what you see. So the pair has the doubling power...without really repeating meaning."

How often have we looked but not really seen? We miss so much at times when we are busy or oblivious...or both...just to glance and not take the time to really see. To look and absorb what God's Word is speaking to us. To look and absorb what is happening around us and what we might be able to do to make a difference.

Jesus said in Matthew 7:7-8 (NLT), “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened." It's a beautiful invitation to 'come and see'. Look and absorb. Lo and behold!

Read more devotions written by Denise Harper at Treasured Inside
https://deniseharper.blog