Traveling in Israel | Previous Challenge Entry

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TITLE: Traveling in Israel | Previous Challenge Entry
By Ken Grant
11/10/14
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The morning sight put the tiredness of the long flight out of my mind. A double rainbow shown brightly behind our hotel near the Sea of Galilee where Jesus and his followers lived, worked, and ministered so many years ago. Walking along our guide showed us the place where the Sermon on the Mount may have been delivered. In my mind’s eye I could envision the throngs of people seated on the slanting hill as Jesus delivered truth directly from the throne of God. Later, eating fish at a restaurant near the water, I looked out on the place where Jesus walked upon the water and where the disciples wondered in awe just who it was that had come into their lives.

A bus trip to the north brought us to an unexpected lush, green place in an otherwise desert-like environment. The waters of Mount Hermon provide a forest-like environment that encourages meditation on the God who created such beauty. In contrast, the north brings us to the Lebanon border which has seen much death and destruction and the location where the tribe of Dan became lost in idolatry. The joy of Israel is the amazing variety of scenery and visual experiences that can be indulged in within an area of land not much larger than the state of New Jersey. The entire country is at hand as a result of mechanized transportation and everywhere that a foot is planted speaks of multiple historical events from the past.

Heading back down south I am amazed at how so many key biblical events occurred so close to one another. Israel is God’s Promised Land and he has done so many amazing things throughout the years in this land, but it is in Jerusalem where the central events of all of history occurred. The city feels ancient and so many of its people seem lost in a time warp. Walking though its streets I am transported back to ancient times. Seeing the place where Jesus walked, the ancient temple which was so central to the life of God’s people with its western wall still standing as a reminder of greater days past, and the garden where Jesus spent so many special times with his disciples only set the stage for the greatest places and acts to come. The place of the skull where Jesus gave his life for all people and the empty tomb which testifies of eternal life provide all of us with a comfort that can only come from an eternal God.

Israel is truly the land of promise and walking in this land provides substance to any person who has read biblical accounts and wondered what it would be like to actually be where all these amazing events occurred. Heading back to the airport in Tel Aviv I feel as though I am returning to the modern world and everyday living, but I know the memories of walking in the Holy Land will remain. There is no place on Earth that provides such spiritual empowerment and strength and it is a place that calls me to return again one day to experience its wonders once again.

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