"At the cross, at the cross
I surrender my life
I'm in awe of You
I'm in awe of You
Where Your love ran red
And my sin washed white
I owe all to You
I owe all to You, Jesus"
I have just returned from the Holy Land, and these lyrics describe the status of my heart most accurately. Before I started the journey to the Holy Land, I expected for God to make Scripture come alive in a new and tangible way. I expected to have incredible experiences and to have fellowship with Christ in a unique way. While these expectations became a reality, God also went above and beyond to transform my heart. In hopes to share pieces of how He did this and to share my renewed excitement for following Him, I write the highlights of my trip.
First and foremost, I want to share my prayer as I stepped off the plane into a new country. I asked God to break my heart for the lost in Israel. I asked Him to give me the eyes of Christ as I would be surrounded by Jews and Muslims. I didn't want to look at these people differently than I would look at a brother or sister in Christ. I wanted to look at them through the lens of the cross.
My highlight of the first day was standing on Mount Carmel and looking out to Mount Tabor. Mount Carmel was where God's presence came down in the form of fire to Elijah. And Mount Tabor is where the Transfiguration took place with Moses and Elijah meeting with Jesus. To be standing where God's presence was so powerfully displayed and to look out and see where Jesus was in His full glory, I was in awe.
On Mount Carmel
We stayed in Tiberias for two nights, and our hotel was right on the Sea of Galilee. Surrounding the sea, we went to places where Christ fed the five thousand and where He preached the Sermon on the Mount. We also went to Capernaum where Jesus called to His disciples, "Come, follow Me." I could almost hear Him calling to me, "Beth, come follow Me. Follow me, the Living Water, and I will make you the salt of the earth. Surrender and come follow me." His presence was so tangible in this moment. At sunset, we went on a boat ride on the sea. To sit there looking out on God's beautiful creation as the sun was setting and imagine Christ walking towards me on the water as He once did to the disciples and imagine His words calming a storm like it was the simplest task in the world, I have no words.
Synagogue in Capernaum
We went to the well where Jesus spoke with the Samaritan adulteress. There, I was overwhelmed with gratitude that my Savior is my Redeemer! His redeeming love transforms me daily. We went to the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus made the ultimate surrender. He said, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will." (Matthew 26:42) He took the cup of wrath , so that my cup might overflow. He surrendered, so that my surrender is possible with Christ in me. To surrender my life where Christ surrendered His was an extremely powerful moment. The same day, I was able to touch the place where Jesus was born. We passed where the angels appeared to the shepherds, and I imagined their excitement in realizing that their Savior has finally come.
The well where Jesus met the Samaritan woman
Camel Ride!
Garden of Gethsemane
The rock where Jesus prayed before being arrested now in the Church of All Nations
We ventured down south where we floated in the Dead Sea and went to the Jordan River. At the river where John the Baptist baptized Jesus, Pastor Jay poured Jordan River water into our hands. When he poured the water, I rang my fingers through my hair. In that moment, the Lord gave me a picture of the woman washing Jesus' feet with her hair. I instantly had a new desire to be like this woman. I dedicated the rest of my life to humbly serving the Lord however irrational or extravagant. I want my life to be a testimony of washing His feet with the blessings that overflow from my cup.
Standing in the Jordan River
The most powerful time of the whole trip was walking the path Jesus carried the cross to His crucifixion. In my journal for the trip, I wrote a prayer to the Lord every night. This is what I wrote after I walked this path.
Lord, as I walked where you were beaten and mocked,
spat upon and abused, my heart is broken in awe of You.
Walking the length of the cross' trail,
I imagine You suffering in a weak man's body.
I imagine You looking at the merchants through drips of blood falling from Your forehead.
I see You watching the people passing as if nothing is happening.
I imagine Your body slamming against the wall in search of support
and my image comes to Your mind. You continue.
As I walk beside Muslims and Jews,
the fact that You died for all overwhelms me.
When I touched the rock where the cross had stood,
my mind was overwhelmed with Your words, "It is finished."
You died once and for all.
At the foot of the cross, You broke my heart for the lost.
At the foot of the cross, You burdened me to share Your story.
I thought in that moment of overwhelming awe of you
that everyone needs to know their Savior: You.
In a real and powerful way, God answered my prayer from the beginning of the week. He truly broke my heart for the lost. As I rejoiced at the empty tomb, my heart broke for the Jews still waiting on a Savior who has already come. In sight of the cross, the Lord powerfully reiterated my call to missions. On my knees, Christ lovingly sent me to the nations. At the cross, all I saw was the Great Commission.
In attempt to sum up my trip, the Lord has uniquely given me a beautiful picture. From Gethsemane to the cross to my call to missions, the Lord has given me a wonderful message. And the message is this: Christ took His cup, so that my cup might overflow to the world in need. When I took a picture of this cross below, not until after did I realize that there was a little white cup in the picture. God has a wonderful way of showing His love for me in such a personal and tangible way.
Psalm 23:4-6
"Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; MY CUP OVERFLOWS. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever."
Matthew 28:18-20
"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
The Empty Tomb
The two prayers I put in the Wailing Wall
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