Recently I came to the realization that I haven’t taken a vacation in quite some time. So I began wondering where I might go. Should I go to a location somewhere right here in the U.S.A. or go abroad. Perhaps Tahiti, or the Hawaiian Islands would be a great place to vacation. Or maybe somewhere in Europe like Greece or Italy would be intriguing. Then I thought of the Holy Land.
Oh yeah that is where I want to go. I love Israel. If you haven’t been I encourage you to do so. The Bible comes alive in Israel. When one walks where Jesus walked and stands and views the precise locations that we’ve read about in the Bible, it speaks to you in a different more meaningful way.
It is one thing to read about the Sea of Galilee and it is another to get on a boat that is a replica of what was used by Jesus and the disciples and navigate its beautiful waters. It is stirring beyond words to kneel in the Garden of Gethsemane and pray. I was re-baptized in the Jordan River in the same approximate location that it is believed that Jesus was baptized; imagine what a feeling to emerge from that experience.
Of course God is everywhere, but I can feel His presence in Israel as nowhere I’ve visited in the world. He loves that little country and has set it aside as His Holy Tabernacle.
If someone has doubts, is agnostic, or an avowed atheist, they will always have a difficult time explaining Israel. It is such a tiny country and the Jewish populace (comparatively speaking) is such a miniscule portion of the world’s population, and yet it is amazing how it garners global attention and remains in the international spotlight. As predicted Israel’s enemies are surrounding it and preparing for an epic battle called Armageddon. I’ve stood high atop a mountain overlooking the battlefield site and envisioned what it will be like when so many will lose their lives there.
Yep I believe I will go to Israel for a vacation sooner rather than later. In Israel people take religion seriously. It is a 24/7 occurrence over there, (especially in Jerusalem). It feels so good to worship and pray almost continually from the time one arrives until they leave. It is exhilarating to feel the presence of God in such a profound way; however when one returns it is amazing how fast it dissipates.
Moses experienced “Shekinah”, or God’s glory, first-hand. God says that no one can look at God and live (Ex 33:20) so God allowed Moses to see His glory but only a partial glimpse where He placed Moses in the “cleft of the rock” and had to cover him with His hand until he “passed by.” Then God said that “I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen” because Moses would have surely died. The intensity of the Shekinah glory of God would have incinerated Moses and would anyone who saw Him.
When Moses went before the Lord to speak with Him, the skin of Moses’ face shined brightly due to the intensity of God’s Shekinah glory. In fact Moses had to wear a veil over his face because when he returned the people were afraid to look at him. However like the moon only reflects the light of the sun and has no source of light in itself, so too did Moses reflect the glory of God and Moses was not the source of this light. The further he got away from the presence of God the less the Shekinah glory of God emanated from Moses’ face.
While my face does not shine while in Israel, my soul radiates brightly and His Shekinah glory fills my spirit. When I return to the U.S.A. and its ambivalence about God (save an hour or so a week on Sunday), it departs rather quickly. As I ponder this today, I realize that leaving Israel is not the reason my experience with God’s Shekinah glory dissipates, it is because I no longer focus on God 24/7. In other words we can have this experience anywhere we are. God is omnipresent meaning He is everywhere at once. We can shine brightly every single day, but we must focus on God.
I say light me up Lord. I’m yours today and every day, the best I know how!
2 Cor. 3:18
But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.
February 2, 2016 – Click here to listen