Sunday, October 10

Sunday, October 10, 2010

We left Galilee this morning and our first stop was Mt. Carmel…it was an interesting but utterly exhausting experience. Mt. Carmel was one of the more challenging climbs we’ve done. Imagine being Elijah that day when the contest came between God and the prophets of Baal. If you had any doubt that the spirit of the Lord enabled Elijah to do amazing things that day, a climb to the top would have convinced you that the Lord really did give him strength. I think many of us had the idea that the worst climbs were over now that we were headed for Jerusalem, so mentally it was a challenge to face another mountain. It was also very warm this morning. The view from the top was magnificent and it certainly made you aware of how real the Lord is and how He can do anything to demonstrate His power and reclaim the love of His people. We were profoundly relieved to see the bus at the summit; our excellent bus driver and Ray’s assistant had a lovely lunch waiting for us. It’s funny how often the first glimpse of the bus is accompanied with a feeling of immense relief! Yes, we are weary in body and mind….it’s encouraging to know that while we have seen and absorbed so much that it becomes overwhelming at times, the Lord is well able to bring to mind later that which He specifically wants us to retain. 

Outside Jerusalem we viewed a garden that was terraced on the sides of a very rocky mountain. This was one of my favorite studies. It’s amazing how they build walls with rocks, haul in topsoil and plant gardens of olive trees, grapes and fig trees. There are many interesting points including the watch tower where the family sleeps during harvest and stores their tools. They also have tombs in the walls of these gardens, and it is likely the body of Jesus was laid in a tomb much like the one we saw today. It was a peaceful picture of order, beauty and productivity.

Then came our entrance into Jerusalem! Wow, the city is so full of history we’ve read about for so many years but never experienced…we went to the Western Wall and tried to restrain ourselves from staring like the naïve tourists we are. Ray says the Jews traditionally pray five times daily and they enjoy coming to the Wall if they can for prayer. In front of the wall there is a divider separating the men and women. After praying they back away from the wall instead of turning and walking away, as an act of reverence for the presence of God being there. To walk some of the paths Jesus and the disciples walked when coming to the temple for worship was an experience to cherish. 

Karen