Israel: My Life will Never be the Same
When you feel it,
when you breathe it,
when you see it,
you will know it.
It is unbelievable.
It is unforgettable.
I have stood at the gates of Jerusalem. I have seen the Nazareth Jesus knew. I have looked down on The Sea of Galilee from the mountain top. I have been baptized in the Jordan River. I have seen Qumran, where the Dead Sea scrolls waited to be found. I have sung songs of praise and prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane.
And my life will never be the same.
This is a story of my pilgrimage through Israel.
The Start of the Journey
Once I saw the Sea of Galilee, I knew that this journey would change the way I viewed life, The Bible and even Christ Himself.
It didn't take long before we were singing and even dancing while we crossed The Sea of Galilee on a fisherman boat. Every morning we started the day with a reading from the book of Psalms singing "This is the day the Lord has made."
This was just the beginning.
The Land that Jesus Knew
Have you ever wondered who Jesus really is? I know we sing the songs at Christmas time and we know the Easter story.
But who is He really?
When we visited Nazareth, Jesus’ hometown, I learned that the oil lamps were very significant to the people of that city.
For Jesus is the light of the world.
I was reminded of John's Gospel, chapter 8 when Jesus says, "I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you will never have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads life."
And as time marches on, He still wants us to join Him to live radically and boldly.
A Spiritual Focus
There were twenty-six of us on this journey and it did not take long before we became like a family. Even though we had a lot of fun together, there were many opportunities to focus on our own personal walk with God.
In the garden of Gethsemane, the Gospels became so alive, as this was the place Jesus prayed to God, the night before He carried that bloody cross for you and for me.
It was so peaceful. The silence was beautiful. I had never been so focused on how magnificent God is until that very moment.
I cannot help but think of Matthew 6: 33 which says, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.”
Hope Redefined
You know how you can read the same scripture passage over and over again and you learn something different every time? Or the Scripture deepens your understanding the more you hear it?
Well, that is what happened to me. The Scriptures became etched on my mind, soul and spirit in a new and profound way. It was as if the heavens opened and I finally had clarity. Each word spoken was instantly magnified and brought so much more meaning to my life.
It gave me a new love to read God's Word.
A new passion for living was set in my heart.
You see, when we set out to find Jesus, no matter where we are, we will surely see that He is everywhere; all around us. His presence becomes alive and hope is restored.
And so it was when I looked down on the city of Jerusalem for the first time.
God opened my eyes to see a different light of the Jesus story. When we visited Bethlehem, we had a tour guide named Johnny. I could tell Johnny loved the Lord as He told us stories and His own personal testimony. In the shepherd's field, Johnny reminded us that God used the shepherds, who were the lowest people on earth, to be used for God's glorious purpose. As tears filled Johnny’s eyes, he said, “God will always provide. Do not worry about tomorrow because God is already there.”
Hope for me, is to have excitement and expectation that something amazing is going to come. It also means that during the waiting, I have passion and strength to make the most of every moment.
As I looked out onto the city that Jesus had touched, in a moment, I knew that if I said YES to Him, no matter what may come, I can walk this road with HIS confidence, purpose and believe that He will provide for all my needs.
We are a Chosen People
Israel is both the chosen people of God and the choosing people of God. A covenant was made, but it was God’s covenant to us.
And God still lets us choose who we are going to serve.
Our ability to choose is something we take for granted … at least I did.
God chose us and He desires that we choose Him in return, but He will never force us to do so.
Is there a more perfect love than this?
When we walked the Palm Sunday walk through the old city of Jerusalem, every single time I lifted my head up, I saw a cross. Whether the cross was engraved in the walls, on top of a church or above someone’s house, it was always there.
When I looked up, I realized I was already home.
Telling His Story: The Reason for the Season
As today is Christmas day, my mind and heart think back to Israel and the life of Jesus Christ. We say that ‘Jesus is the reason for the season’, but how many of us truly believe that? How many of us can say we make Him the focus and center of it all? When we were at the Church of the Nativity, we sang Away in a Manger. My whole body shook.
I came to a new realization that Christ came into this world for me and you.
Of course I have believed this for some time now, but all I could think is, how can it be?
As time goes on and as life only becomes busier, I do not want to lose sight of the true meaning of Christmas and why I traveled to Israel. I want to celebrate the life Jesus lived. I want to take what I learned and apply it to my life today. It was easy to stand on holy ground without the distractions of my day planner, but I must learn to continually seek Him out, even in the midst of the chaos. I want to find that peace, hope and love that Jesus gave us by coming into this world.
It amazes me how thousands and thousands of years have passed and Christ's story is still alive today as it was in the Bible times. The evidence is in the excavations of the church of Magdala and Besha, in the Dead Sea scrolls hidden in Qumran and in Paul's message at Caesarea.
Why am sharing this? To show you how history is only proving more and more of God's story. As I continued to explore Israel, I saw so much value placed on faith, hope and telling more people of Christ's love.
The thing is - the story is still being written.
For Scriptures say, "Tell your children about it in the years to come, and let your children tell their children. Pass the story down from generation to generation."
You and I can write the final chapters.
Pray for the peace in Jerusalem
My feet stood on the ground where Jesus had been. That is all I could think about when I saw the temple mount and the teaching steps of Jesus.
But my life is still far from perfect. I still have so much more to this journey. My feet still have much more ground to walk on.
Israel is indeed God’s treasured possession and we must pray for that nation and for the whole world. A woman on the trip said to us, “Look out onto all the people who do not believe … We must pray that they do believe.”
There are so many people who look for peace in all the wrong places. Jesus wept over Jerusalem and He is still weeping for us today.
G. Redhead puts it perfectly when she said, "More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of. More things are wrought by prayer than this world knows. With prayer we forge a chain, a chain of gold around the world that binds us to the feet of God."
You and I are God’s treasured possession.
I have walked the roads of my Lord and Savior.
But I am still walking.
Step by step I will keep on.
And my life is forever changed.