Month: March 2020

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A VIEW AND BOAT RIDE ON THE SEA

The 10 minute walk up this mountain was worth it because the view was out. of. this. world! No wonder Jesus came this way from Nazareth because the backdrop was beautiful!! Overgrown in wildflowers of many colors with a breathtaking view of the whole area around, Mt. Arbel set the scene perfectly. While there isn’t exact evidence that this was the very spot Jesus spoke the Sermon of the Mount or the Beatitudes, I hoped it was because the setting was magnificent.

Either way, we know He took this route and He spent time here. Scripture tell us in Luke 6, “Jesus went out to a mountain side to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to him.” This was most likely the place for those alone times with God where He needed to reconnect with His purpose, to learn where He needed to go next, to meditate and be refreshed. While our time was short here, it felt heavenly to bask in the sun and breathe in the freshness of His Presence, as He did.

After that, we put out into the deep and spent some time on the Sea. The wind blowing from every side, sun beating down on us, the water misting us in the face just slightly, it was like everything else around me stopped. We spent some time just quietly meditating and praying. I sat with my legs dangling down off the front of the boat and felt a familiar whisper from the Lord, “Peace be still.”

Thinking about how I felt the day before, I looked down at the permanently tattooed Hebrew word on my left arm, “Shalom.” I struggle with peace. It is not an easy place for me to get to nor stay in. In that moment, I felt reminded of the words Jesus spoke to me 2 months before my trip, when I felt such uncertainty about this trip, worried about what old wounds would be opened up, how exposed I would feel, and anxiety had crept in.

He whispered to me, “Daughter, just as I stilled the wind and sea by simply stepping into the vessel of the disciples full of fear, I will still your fears. Yes, you are in treacherous waters, I know that. But I also know that I live within you. Whatever atmosphere you step into, you will also still the chaos of the sea. You will be used mightily and this trip is in My will for you. Just listen to My voice. Peace be still. Take courage.”

I have the power to set the tone of the atmosphere around me. I do. As a wildly passionate person, I know I can be controlled by emotions if I’m not careful. I know I can hide behind my emotions too. Expressiveness has been a blessing and a curse for me – a gift to be zealously joyful, overtly loving and kind, or cursed to be glaringly irritated, restlessly uneasy. I did not realize until much later in life that because of my strong spirit, vocal tone, volume, and facial expressions, I had such a substantial capability to influence the resonance around me. This meant I had to carefully think about which spirit I walk out in – either choosing one of victory in Christ, of fear, of shame, or of victim hood.

It has been prophesied over me that my feet are to be fitted and guarded with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. That it would not take eloquent words but rather simply stepping into the war with the radiance of Christ, joyous laughter piercing the tension, and Jesus guiding my every step to still the weapons of the enemy. Breathing in the fresh air of the sea, I felt all of the fear and worry melt away, as if I had shaken the dust off my feet from the pain of the Golan. I felt rejuvenated in purpose, repentant in attitude, and restored in faith. I knew God had placed me on this trip for a reason. Even if that meant the reason was for me to simply change.

Attitude altered, I was ready to receive what would happen in the next few hours. This began with an unexpected dance lesson with our tour guide and captain on the boat, learning 2 dances to classic Jewish songs. It was incredible the freedom I felt once again in my spirit, letting go of all expectations and inhibitions, and freely dancing with that joyful zeal God has given me!

We ended our time on the sea with a FEAST of whole fish on a massive platter, freshly caught and fried up for us! Heart and stomach full, how could one not leave changed with a view like this?

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ALONG THE SHORES OF GALILEE

Lake or Sea of Kinneret, Gennesaret, Tiberias or Galilee, is all one body of water found in the northern part of the Land. Approximately the size of WA D.C., this expanse is the main source of freshwater to the whole land. It was also the center of Jesus’ ministry.

We began this day with some time of worship and Bible reading on the shores, near where it is believed Jesus restores Peter into right relationship with Him once again. After such an emotional day before, it was refreshing to be reminded of this story. Peter’s beloved friend and teacher, Jesus, had died, the most gruesome of deaths. With a swarm of rumors of resurrection, the accounts go to on to share that Jesus had reveal Himself alive several times before this particular story takes place.

He was alive, so Peter should be rejoicing, right? But he was ashamed, for he has rejected know his Savior too many times, especially in his hour of greatest need. Peter went out to do what he knew he could do best, fish. It was probably the thing that took his mind off of reality and helped him process what he was feeling. He comes back to shore after a failed night of fishing with a few disciples and they see a man on the beach, a fire roaring next to him, ask if they had caught anything. Turning up empty handed, the man tells them to cast their nets back in, and suddenly a multitude of fish overflows, leading to an eye-opening shout from John exclaiming, “It is the Lord!” Peter in his typical enthusiasm, could not contain himself and swam to shore to meet with Him. He saw Jesus was roasting fish and made some bread.

Peter encounters his Lord like never before. “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” This conversation gets repeated 3 times. This story struck differently than any time I’d read it before. You see, the words for love used by Jesus and Peter, are not the same. If you look closer, Jesus is asking for agape, unconditional love, while Peter admits he could only give him fileo, or brotherly love because he realized his human nature in denying Him. Jesus ends the interaction by asking for fileo love and Peter confesses he was trying.

Sitting on the shore, I tear up a bit thinking about my day before, when I felt so crushed by pain of the past, so ashamed of my attitude, like I had acted like a victim and realized, Jesus didn’t shame Peter for turning his back on him. Rather, He reminded him, it was okay to not love unconditionally all the time, to grasp my own humanness. God was not asking for perfection, he was asking for faith, perseverance, and humility. My heart softened, as the same grace was extended to it. I felt overcome a deep sense of peace as we moved onto our next stop.

Capernaum – hometown of Matthew, future home of Peter, a place that became central to Jesus’ ministry. Later, it was cursed and abandoned, as Korazim had been. In the time Jesus spent there, He healed a man with an unclean spirit, Peter’s mother-in-law’s fever, and the paralytic man who was lowered through a roof by his friends. He told the disciples the first shall be last on their way to Capernaum.

A beautiful example of this is the story of the centurion who was incredibly hungry for God, built a synagogue for the people in Capernaum. The faith of this centurion moved on the heart of Jesus, when he came to him and asked for the healing of his man’s servant. No faith was like his in all of Israel, Jesus proclaimed! While the synagogue we stood in was from the 4th century and not the 1st, it set the scene to picture what took place.

No faith was like this Gentile man’s in all the land. How convicting that would have been, proclaimed in a synagogue, a place of faith. Considering what had been said, I felt a need to examine my own heart and question, is my faith moving on the heart of God? Is my life testifying to what God has done? I had an opportunity to share my testimony on this trip and while that was an absolute privilege, I knew God was not done with me yet, particularly after marinating in what happened the day before.

Pondering all this in my heart, we moved onto our next stops of the day: Mt. Arbel and a boat ride on the Sea.

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GOLAN HEIGHTS

Necessarily uncomfortable.

I don’t think I could’ve anticipated that it would pour as much as it did on our 7th day of tour. Let’s just say, there was not a dry moment. All jokes aside, it seems so appropriate that this day was so awkward, considering majority of the places we stopped at carried a weight of heaviness to them. Entering the Golan had filled me with both apprehension and expectancy.

The word is almost taboo on my lips because it holds hurt and renewal all in one. The Golan, like most of the Middle East, contained a history of power struggle. Tension ruled in the land once occupied by the Syrians, now under Israeli rule, not far unlike what I felt in my heart on this day. It’s hard for me to admit, but this day was really painful for me. I felt a twinge in my skin, as a Syrian in a place where identity was so contested, how I’ve felt honestly a majority of my life. Kind of ironic considering Golan is a city of refuge to the region of Bashan, a placed meaning as “something surrounded.” As a Christian, I’ve learned that being uncomfortable is often necessary, because true healing is birthed there. Looking back at it now, if I hadn’t gone through this day of discomfort, I wouldn’t have been ready to receive what was to come.

Our first stop is in the practically non-existent town of Korazim, for Christ had cursed it, along with Bethsaida and Capernaum. His miracles were more active here and yet their hearts would not repent. It struck me how desolate it really was here, that His curse really played out after He left. Aside from the ruins, there was nothing there. An earthquake destroyed the ancient city and it did not take long for it to be abandoned altogether.

Drenched, we moved onto our next stop, a good hour drive up north, mere miles from Lebanon and Syria, at the Tel Dan Nature Reserve. Formerly an ancient Canaanite city, this preserve is found at the head waters of the Jordan. This is where the tribe of Dan eventually settled down since they had not yet had conquered any territory to their name. They wandered for 16 years before they finally did something and their decision was marked out by idolatry. They used Moses’ grandson Micah as priest for their idol worship and thus became the legacy of this city.

“They did evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin by which he had made Israel sin.”

After quite a hike, we stopped here, at this altar built by Jeroboam, who we know is trademarked by his idolatry, creating 2 new temples (the other is found near Bethel), consecrating his own priests and making up new religious holidays. We know that the Israelites follow in his footsteps, walking away from their faithful God until He has no other option but to let them fall into the hands of their enemies.

A 6 minutes’ drive later, we enter into Caesarea Philippi, another place of idolatry. Seemed like a pattern here in the Golan. You could almost taste the darkness in this place. Here we saw shrines and altars to Ba’al and Asherah, the idols of the people of the land. In reading the Word, you discover that this was place where Jesus chose to ask the disciples who people said He was, ending with Peter’s proclamation, “You are the Son of the Living God.”

Even though we were soaked to the bone, seeing the realness of sin, God spoke. Sometimes brutal situations are what really grab our attention. I could look at all of this and shudder in disgust (which I did). Or I could examine my own heart and allow Him to reveal the true attitude of it. Being in the Golan, hurt. It hurt because so many people have rubbed salt into the wound of the past and I had become bitter. Listening to the harsh politics of this part of the Land on our tour bus, only caused me to shut down. It was so painful to listen to.

That’s when Jesus really grabbed my attention. We stopped for lunch in a town in the mountains. The land was covered in a veiled mist and you could really only see what was within a few hundred feet of you. Here, under 3 miles away from Syria – home, I felt a tug in my spirit. Suddenly it wasn’t all about the pain of the past or the reality of sin but the longing in my heart for a place I hadn’t seen in 13 years. I felt like Moses, all I wanted was to see the Land, a vicinity shrouded in haze.

It was surreal. I sat across my dad at lunch and all I could say was, “I’m so close to home,” over and over. It was almost as if I had to convince myself that this was really happening. Another 8-hour drive and I would’ve been in my hometown. Suddenly the wall came down in my heart. The anger and resentment softened. I know I’ve struggled with my identity for a long time. I am proud to be an Arab, yet I’ve been made to feel as if it is wrong to believe so. The sins of my people carried such a weight that I believed that it was my sin too. But at the same time, I had, hypocritically, done the same in my heart towards the Jews, a people just as lost, just as desperate to hold onto identity.

I asked the Lord for healing, for my wounded heart to be restored from the heartache of the politics of the Land. I asked for the shame and darkness I had felt on this day, the blur I walked in, to be cleared and wiped away. I asked for softening, for forgiveness, for freedom.

I felt the Lord remind me that rain is an outpouring of blessing, that deep cleansing is needed to prepare a wound for real mending, like pouring alcohol on a cut. Even though it stung, this was a pivotal part of my trip because I came to a head space where it was no longer us versus them. I am not a victim to history or a wanderer without roots. Being proud of my heritage does not mean I have to cower in fear of what others think. In the end, my identity is in Jesus, the author and creator of my story and everyone else’s. I do not want to rob anyone of who God created them to be, in His likeness and image, with my mistrust and unbelief. The rain stripped away the rawness of the past and prepared my heart for the transaction of restoration that needed to happen.

We made a few small stops along the way back to the Sea of Galilee and our tour guide surprised us with an optional treat to end our wet day if we were interested. He hooked us up with some time at a hot spring, near the Jordanian/Syrian/Israeli border. This was a wonderful way to end our day, loosening the tension and preparing us for the last leg of the trip.

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HAROD’S SPRING, BEIT SHE’AN, AND MAGDALA

“Alas, Sovereign Lord! I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!” But the Lord said to him, “Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die.” So Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and called it The Lord Is Peace.” -Judges 6:22-24

The Lord is Peace.

Things took a turn for the worst after Joshua. He did his best to conquered the land but less than 300 years later, the wickedness of Israel had become so outrageous in the sight of the Lord, that the people were forced into hiding. They abandoned the commands of God and his promises, taking refuge in mountain clefts and caves. Whenever they planted a crop, it would be ruined by the people of the land. Their enemies killed every living thing, including their livestock. The people were so oppressed, they turned to back to the God they recklessly disregarded and finally cried out for relief.

In this particular instance, the Lord responds with a directive given to a mighty warrior named Gideon, who considered himself to be the weakest in his clan and least in his father’s house, telling him to go out and fight for his people! Following after the command of his God, Gideon arouses controversy among his clan by cutting down the idols the Israelites had adopted from the pagan culture of their land.

God leads him to enlist men to war for the promise they had been given. There is a taste of a give and take between God and Gideon that I absolutely love where Gideon pushes the limits by asking for a sign multiple times to prove that he was following the commands of God with wisdom. We know that God asks Gideon to majorly trust Him by cutting down their military defense from 22,000 fearful warriors to a valiant 300. Gideon asking them to drink water from this spring, choosing the men by how they choose to quenched their thirst.

God could have easily defeated the entire militia of their enemies with a simple snap of His fingers but I think God likes showing off, proving He’s the hero. He loves the glory that is given to Him when He moves miraculously, not because He’s some sadistic, manipulative God who loves for us to go through painful things. Rather, He created a world that requires us to take risks, full of faith, because He want to show us that He has what it takes, that He’s trustworthy, and is out for our good, even when we cast Him aside.

The Holy Spirit made it crystal clear that walking by faith, even when the odds look grim, is vital, because He will not let me down. He loves me too much to simply let me face the giants in my life on my own.

We hopped back on the bus and drove about 10 minutes to our next stop at Beit She’an, where King Saul and his sons were hung on display for all to see by the Philistines. Yes, you read that correctly.

Views after a hike up

In Roman times, this city became the leading city of the Decapolis, the 10 cities Rome considered as their eastern front of the Empire. According to our tour guide, he believes this city was the best preserved Roman ruins ever. The beautiful theater near the entrance was used by the rich, such as the Herodians, as a place to gorge on food. After they ate their fill, they would find a corner and puck it all up just so they could eat more while watching performances. It made me a little sick to the stomach to hear about such excessive waste. Put a whole new understanding to gluttony.

A majority of the pillars fallen along the streets of the town. We learned a catastrophic earthquake had wrecked much of the structures in the year 749. After a short hike up a hill overlooking the ruins, we get a breathtaking view. To the north of Beit She’an we get our first glimpse of the Golan, the luscious greener part of Israel, with Syria in the distance. I had felt apprehensive about visiting Golan Heights, because of how heated discussions tend be around this particular part of the Land, which I’ll talk more about later but I felt overwhelming joy seeing it from this distance. I teared up a bit seeing and feeling so close to my homeland. Somewhere I hadn’t seen in 13 years. Home.

Syria seen in the far distance

We ended the day spending time in Magdala on the Sea of Galilee. We went to a small church right on the water, named Duc in Altum, or “Put out into the Deep.” Father Kelley, an Irish priest, spoke the Gospel unlike I had ever heard before! It was beautiful what tributes to the Bible every aspect of the building contained. Right outside was a synagogue from the time of Christ! Right beside it was a spot where fisherman would have stored fish for sale – ancient aquariums. It felt so out of this world being by the lake where so many of Jesus’ miracles took place and it left me with such anticipation for what was to comes next.

Ancient Fish Tank
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JERICHO, MT. TEMPTATION, AND GILGAL

“Shout! For the Lord has given you the city!” spoke Joshua as the walls of Jericho came tumbling down. Jericho, a mere 16 miles outside of Jerusalem, the oldest continually occupied city on earth (since the 10th millennium BCE) is found smack dab in the midst of the West Bank today. After my first trip to Arabic territory, I had this anticipation building inside of me. I quite honestly did not realize how close it all was to Jerusalem. It felt different every time we rode into the West Bank, like you had left the 1st world end entered into the 3rd. It looked so much like the streets of my hometown, it blew my mind. I could feel our group get uneasy and uncertain but I wasn’t going to let that damper my elation to be here.

We stopped at the ruins of the ancient city, known as Tell es-Sultan or Tel Jericho, set at the foot of the Mt. Temptation, where Jesus had wandered in the wilderness, tempted by Satan to give in to sin instead of relying on God.

We read the story of Zacchaeus, when Jesus reminds us that His heart was to seek and save the lost. Did you know Zacchaeus means innocent? He had gotten so caught up in his sinful life, labeled an outcast by the people he cared about, that he forgot the identity God has given him. Jesus called him out exclusively before the crowd and chose to dine in his presence, because He did not forget who He called Zacchaeus to be. I know I’ve lost sight of that in my own life often and it was so necessary to be reminded of who God made me to be – a woman whose heart of worship drew others into His presence.

Turning to look at the ruins, we got an idea of the ancient city that once stood there. While there is not much physical evidence of the walls falling down as the story in Joshua tells, excavations have found indications of an earthquake from around that time period. Right across in the valley were orchards and farmland intermixed with housing, as far as you could see, found in the picture at the top. According to our tour guide, Jericho farms the best produce of the Land.

Leaving Jericho, we took a short trip to get our first glimpse of the Jordan River at Kaser Al-Yahud, or “Castle of the Jews” in Arabic. This traditionally has been known as the place where John the Baptist baptized Jesus, where the Jews cross the Jordan into the Promised Land, and where Elijah ascended to heaven. On the other side is Jordanian territory and they call it, “Al-Maghtas” or “Immersion.” It was really something seeing people getting baptized on both sides of the river, especially since we were surrounded by minefields from the Six Day War from 1967…

After driving behind some sketchy looking greenhouses, we stopped in a field that most likely would’ve been known as the first Gilgal. I say first because we learned that out of the 39 times the place is mentioned in the Bible, this is not the only one. You see, Gilgal or “circle of stones,” was most likely a type of structure, not a set place.

Inside this particular circle of stones, was an altar of rocks, set up as monument. This is what the Bible is talking about when the Israelites were asked to set up a memorial before the Lord in remembrance. It seemed so wild to see this progression, from crossing the Jordan, setting up camp for the first time in the Land, to worshiping until the walls fell down around them as they began to walk into the promise God has given them! We took some time breathing it all in here because it was absolutely beautiful.

I was reminded that in my life, God has moved so miraculously so many times. I know that I had to stop and reflect at my own memorials that I have set up to honor Him in that moment. I stumbled upon a little snail, tucked away in the shade and it might sound silly but I felt the Holy Spirit remind of the way the dye purple is created. You see, in ancient times, purple was highly prized because it took a massive number of snails being either crushed or milked and the color became brighter with weathering. The more the cloth was put through arduous circumstances, the more laborious the conditions, the more the color brilliantly radiated. The ordeals I have gone through could’ve easily given me a victim mentality, which I know I have been guilty of at times, but the adversities I have faced were the vehicle for the blazing fire that irradiated from within me to burst forth. This is my identity, as a seller of purple.

It was absolutely mind-boggling seeing the Word jump off the pages here in the Land. I couldn’t wait to see what was going to happen next!

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THE JUDEAN WILDERNESS

Not too far outside of Jerusalem, the landscape changes drastically. Everything is colored in shades of golden brown, sparsely adorned with green – beset by an expanse of a sea of salt. All below sea level.

You can’t go to Israel without seeing the Dead Sea, the wilderness where David hid from Saul, and where Jesus wandered for 40 days in a place of temptation.

Our first stop was to take a gondola up to Masada, a fortress on top of a mountain whose peak is a mere 58 feet above sea level. A whole village exists at the top, with palaces built by Herod I – complete with a storehouse, an armory, mikvahs (or ritual baths), a synagogue, and cisterns that held water. A group of Jewish Zealot rebels known as the Scarii, hid out up here from their Roman rulers. They were so passionately loyal to their cause, they killed their families before drawing lots to kill each other, just so they wouldn’t fall into the hands of their enemies. Today it gets used as a location for Israeli Defense Force soldiers to get sworn in as they complete their basic training.

After we made our way back down, we move on to what is known as Ein Gedi, or spring of the young goat. The cliff sides are littered with caves, nestled near some lovely waterfalls, the perfect place to hide out.

Here, David spent so much time – staring at the stars, breathing in the smell of the sea, listening to singing of nature around him, far away from his family – pouring out his heart before the Lord. Where better a place to connect with mountainous presence of God than one with no distraction. Stop, meditate, and picture the words of David come to life, expressed in Psalm 63.

“O God, You are my God;
Early will I seek You;
My soul thirsts for You;
My flesh longs for You
In a dry and thirsty land
Where there is no water.
So I have looked for You in the sanctuary,
To see Your power and Your glory.

Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,
My lips shall praise You.
Thus I will bless You while I live;
I will lift up my hands in Your name.
My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness,
And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.”

His soul YEARNED for God, longing to be satisfied by the only One who really understood him, in an arid, barren land. Fullness of joy was found in a time of desperation to simply be. To simply be in His Presence, at His feet. Here in a land where fresh, drinking water was scarce, David found refuge in the Living Water, where his thirst could be quenched.

Who wouldn’t want to camped out near this fresh water?!

Israel was having an unusually wet season, after record years of drought. It had poured in Jerusalem that day, so we found ourselves unable to go any further, to the upper falls, which had been shut down due to flooding! Here was God’s hand of blessing, pouring out water in a dry, parched land!!!

Speaking of parched, our next stop was at a spa! Not any old spa but one right by the Salt Sea! Did you know that our oceans only have about 3% salt content in them? I don’t know about you, but I swallowed way too much salt water as a kid by accident. But nothing could’ve prepared me for how crazy this was about to be.

The Dead Sea has a 35% salt content!

That’s right, you read that correctly. 35%. That’s more than 10 times the amount of salt we are normally around. Basically, we were instructed to walk in, turn around and float on your back as you ease into the water. It was crunchy to walk on and not many rocks were in sight. Floating inherently, was not a problem at all. There was like no way you could drown, considering how buoyant you now became due to the salt. It was outlandish, yet so palpable. My skin had never felt so smooth. My skin had never felt so smooth. My dry lips stung terrifically as I unintentionally sampled the water. Trust me, I LOVE salt. But this was on another level. The sea was known for its natural minerals, so often folks visiting will cover themselves in the mud of the banks and then wash clean. A group of us decided to try it. Not sure if it was really worth it to get so dirty but hey, this is the Dead Sea we are talking about, there’s got to be some benefits!

We ended our time making a quick stop soaking in an indoor hot spring before we made our way to our final stop of the day – Qumran.

These caves at Qumran were occupied by the Essenes, a group of radical lovers of the Word of God! They devoted their lives to its study in search for their Messiah, their Savior of promise. In 1946, the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered and today, some of them are on display at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, which we had stopped at to see our first night in the city! A large amount of the scrolls is also found at the Jordan Museum in Amman.

Now, if you have never heard of the Dead Sea Scrolls, let me give you some context. For a long time, secular thought discredited the Bible because of a lack of evidence to corroborate the Word, especially in the dating aspect. These scrolls are the 2nd oldest known surviving manuscripts of preserved evidence, dated back to at least 150 BCE. Their discovery shifted and transformed the Jewish and Christian world forever because it was extensive in show that the Word of God proved history to be true. The scrolls contain the entire book of Isaiah, parts of Ecclesiastes, the words of Habakkuk, chunks of the Pentateuch, Judges, 2 Samuel, Ezekiel, Psalms, and much more.

As this day came to an end, I felt such an awe of God’s hand in the wilderness. In a thirsty land in need of water, He poured out and spoke so clearly, that this is where the nitty-gritty needs to happen for the miracle to come. We found out the next morning that if we had gone any moment later, we wouldn’t have been able to go on this particular trip. For the rains in Jerusalem had flooded the valley below.

Sometimes it’s easy to look and expect the blessing in the good season. Or to lose heart in the endless heat. But often it comes after the desert season because God wants us to lean on Him and believe Him to be God alone, in spite the circumstance.

Deserts indeed bloom in the light of His love.