“Behold Him Now” Song Story from Gateway Worship

We sat down with Gateway Worship to learn more about their new song, “Behold Him Now.” Read the full interview below and make sure to give this new release a listen!

Q: Can you tell us a little bit about the season spiritually and personally and the space/place in which this song emerged?

Anna: There’s a longing for throne room songs. They never get old. Songs where the attention is fully on Him. Not songs that are not necessarily about feelings or an emotional experience, but about the reality of The Lord’s Prayer ‘on earth as it is in heaven’. There is a longing for holy moments, where the Bible comes alive, and we truly join with heaven’s song. It helps us turn our eyes upon Him, where we can see what Isaiah saw and say what he said.

Q: When you were writing this song, did you have any thoughts about who might sing it?

Nick: This song was written for the body of Christ. To encourage the Church to turn their gaze to our Shepherd King. Also, when Anna sang it, it seemed to truly connect. One of the beautiful things about this song is that when all the attention is on Him, anyone can lead it.

Q: Did something in your personal/church life lead/influence the writing?

Levi: Nick came in with the first line of the chorus “King of Heaven” and Anna shared some beautiful revelation about the significance of the train of His robe. How in ancient times, if a king had a robe with a long train, it symbolized strength and security. When the king of one country conquered the king of another, the conquering king would have some part of that robe’s train sewn onto his own. And when we think about the train of our King filling the temple, we are reminded that there isn’t a battle that He hasn’t won. And then Ben started playing on the piano and everything just flowed so naturally. We simply worshipped. Sometimes you must be willing to throw out a process to go after what is true.

Q: Can you share about those you wrote with and that process?

Ben: Nick and I have written together for a while and Levi and Anna know each other from Gateway. It felt safe because there was relationship in the room. Our church backgrounds were connected. Also, we had Nick in on Zoom and that is a different dynamic. His role turned a little more observational, which really allowed him to see and hear things that we did not.

Q: Were there any surprises in the writing/arrangement/recording of the song?

Levi: From the original demo to Gateway’s demo, to Ben making some adjustments to that demo, all the way to the final live recording; there have been several changes during the production and the arrangement of the song. I still feel surprised when you write a song about something that has been written a million times, and somehow it still feels new. 88BPM is such an odd tempo for a worshipful song and we feel it makes it special.

Q: Were there any challenges personally or musically in the creation of the song?

Ben: I came in with a bridge idea and then we realized that it didn’t work with our current tempo. We also wrestled with so many different bridge ideas because we felt like so many songs had “holy” in them, but after trying multiple ideas, we realized there is nothing else left say when you behold Him.

Q: Why is this song meaningful to you and what about it do you hope will connect with or bring transformation to those who hear/sing it?

Anna: This song is an invitation as well as a response. It is a reminder that we are not here to just sing songs, but we are here to meet with the One that promises that He will inhabit the praises of His people. We truly become what we behold as we turn our eyes upon Jesus. With all the distractions around us and in our minds, refocusing on Him helps remind us that He is still on His throne.

Q: Did this song impact your relationship with God or People?

Nick: It came out of such a deep place of revelation, being able to see His strength and authority. Not only seeing Him walk into a congregation but walking into our hearts and our lives as the King of Majesty.

Q: Is there an aspect of the service you think this song is particularly suitable for?

Levi: It can serve in earlier spots because of the tempo (88BPM), or it can serve in deeper spots of your worship setlist. It truly stops your mind and turns your attention to Him!