As a compliment to my previous post, What Did the Angels See?, I wanted to follow up with an expression of my own personal perspective on the birth of Christ.  I’d like to do so by sharing the lyrics of a song the Lord gave me many years ago, called, What Do I See?

At the time I wrote it, my wife and I were rushing around the house getting ready to leave for a family Christmas party.  In a very “untimely” moment and manner, the Lord dropped the first verse of this song into my heart.  My initial reaction was, “Lord, this is not good timing!”  I knew that if I didn’t write it down, though, I would lose it. So I quickly grabbed a piece of paper, asked my wife to please be patient with me, and began writing.  As I did, the second, third, and fourth verses came as well.  Within a very short time the Lord had given a complete song, a gift from Him, and for Him.  (And we were only a little bit late to the party!  🙂 )

When I think of the manner in which this song was given, it seems that it was not merely incidental, but rather poignantly intentional on the Lord’s part.  In my mind, it emphasizes a significant facet of how God often works when He desires to “birth” a new and unique expression of Himself in and through our lives.

When the Father sent His Son into the world, He did so at a very inconvenient time for those most closely involved.  “The fullness of the time” (Gal. 4:4) from His perspective, was right in the middle of all of Judea reshuffling around to the towns of their birth due to the Roman census.  It was a chaotic, tumultuous time.  Mary, at full term, had to journey with Joseph from Nazareth to Bethlehem, a some 90-mile trek, which took them four or five days, and was fraught with discomfort and danger.  In addition to that, when they arrived in Bethlehem, appropriate accommodations for a woman about to give birth were nowhere to be found.  They had to settle for a cold and unsanitary stable.  To Mary and Joseph, it must have seemed that God’s provision and timing for this Divinely-ordained birth couldn’t have been more poorly planned and ill-timed.  Behind it all, however, was the sovereign wisdom, love, and power of God orchestrating every detail for the fulfillment of His highest purpose.

The incarnation story did not end with Joseph and Mary, though.  It is going on and on, to this very day, in an untold multitude of called and chosen ones in whom the Father is desiring to bring forth His Son by the power of His Holy Spirit.  As He does, He often does His most fruitful work in the most unconventional ways and in the most inopportune times.  “The fullness of the times” for Him, is often the “no-room-in-the-inn” time for us.  His ways are simply higher than ours.

So, when I look at how this song about His birth was “birthed”, it seems emblematic of His ways.  To me, it is a reminder that His purposes and His workings are most likely not going to fit neatly into my pre-determined schedule and expectations.   In addition to sharing the words of this song, I wanted to also share these thoughts, which add another measure of meaning to this song for me.  I pray that you are encouraged by this creative expression, given by the Spirit in this “untimely” way. 🙂

May you and your family enjoy God’s richest blessings this Christmas season!
Our God is with us!

With love,
David

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What Do I See?

What do I see when I look upon the face
Of the baby born in Bethlehem?
I see the light of the world
Shining in the dark
The glory of God in a Babe

And as the star showed the way
To Bethlehem’s stall
The light of His life shows the way for us all
He’s the Light of the World

What do I see when I look upon the face
Of the baby born in Bethlehem?
I see the Lamb that was born
To bear the sin of man
The innocent One who would be slain

And as shepherd’s and flocks
Came and looked on His face
They beheld the Lamb who would die in their place
He is the Lamb of God

What do I see when I look upon the face
Of the baby born in Bethlehem?
I see the King of a kingdom
That’s not of this world
Born to bring it down to man

As as the kings came to worship
And offer Him gifts
One day every knee shall bow
And every tongue confess
He is the King of kings

What do I see when I look upon the face
Of the baby born in Bethlehem?
I see the Only Begotten Son of God
The Gift of the Father to all men

And for all who make room
In their hearts to receive
The Christ shall be born in all who believe
He is the Son of God

That’s what I see when I look upon the face
Of the baby born in Bethlehem…
What do you see?

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©1987 David Bolton

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 You may also enjoy this compilation of poetic musings on the incarnation of Christ written by Evan Bolton, Cheryl McGrath, and me in 2013:
“The Word Became Flesh” – A Collaboration of Poetic Reflection

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