Thursday, October 13, 2011

Blind Faith

Judaism Israel PicturesBefore Jesus healed Bartimaeus the blind beggar, he cried out repeatedly, “Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me,” even though he was told to be quiet by the crowd. The man’s confidence in Jesus – his faith in the Rabbi’s healing power – was what Jesus claimed restored his sight.
                Patti and I have too been crying out, trying not to let the critics influence us, trying not to “worry”, believing – even without knowing how or from where – the resources to allow us to travel to Israel would come. And of course, out of the unseen, God provides. We received an unexpected check from a land investment sale and it was enough to cover the remainder of our ticket costs.
                Praise You, God from whom all blessings flow! Now we only need be concerned with saving funds for travel while in the Holy Land. And isn’t that odd, I’ve already moved on to the next “worry” whose outcome I can’t see.  You’re right, Lord, I shouldn’t worry about tomorrow.  You have shown, over and over again, that You will provide exactly what we need when we need it, if we just will have faith – even a little faith will do the trick.
                Lord, I confess that there are many things I can’t see.  How do we afford to pay our bills during the journey, how is our presence in Your land going to glorify You? What is our purpose in this venture and what if we totally misread Your desire?  How much must we pay in baggage fees?? LOL Lord, I know, I know, don’t worry about tomorrow…
                So now Lord, help me to look forward to Your blessings – a great one I know awaits us when we encounter the people of Israel.  Let me be influenced and impassioned by the faith displayed in the people of the land that You first promised. Let Patti and I, and all of those who plan to experience this journey with us, be transformed by Your Spirit. Use us as Your tools, in whatever way pleases You, so that Your purpose for us is fulfilled.
                Patti and I started studying and compiling notes on references to the places we’ll be visiting – Bethlehem, The Herodian, Samaria, Mt. Gerizim, Sebastia, Shiloh, Scythopolis, Tiberius, Caesarea Maritime, Tel Meggido, Nazareth, Sepphoris, The Sea of Galilee, the Valley of the Winds & Doves, Capernaum,  Jerusalem (with ALL its historical wonders), Bethany, Tabgha, Qumran, The Dead Sea…to make things more interesting, we are also going to bring needed supplies to a struggling school and are trying to squeeze in a visit to an incredible ministry called HaYovel (translated: The Jubilee) www.hayovel.com that serves the people of Israel – Lord give us strength to take this all in!
There is so much so see and absorb – we want to offer a morning devotional with anyone on the tour (and anyone traveling with us via the blogsite), preparing for each day…how do we prepare for such wonders of Spiritual history? The key word is Spirit and we ask Lord for Your guidance as we experience Your ancient plan.
                Adonai, keep us alert to Your desire as we draw nearer to You and to Your land. Amen
PS Any of you who have questions about our journey or suggestions/prayers for our time in the Holy Land (and beyond), please contact us @ markc91754@comcast.net.  Blessings & Shalom!