Scratching the Surface

The second full day of travel and experiences in Israel were emotional, amazing and stretching. We began the day with a tour through an historical Biblical garden on the grounds of our hotel. The outstanding display of the garden was a scale size replica of the Tabernacle. Once inside the hotel we heard the owner/proprietor share his experiences with terror inside the very hotel we were staying at and down the street from his hotel at the gas station on the corner. It was especially emotional as he showed us the medals he was awarded when he put his life in danger to successfully subdue one of the suicide bombers .

We then proceeded deeper into the West Bank, in a secure bus to Shiloh...a place spoke of in the days of at the Tabernacle. The site we visited is believed to be the place where God dwelt among His people in the holy of holies. It was also there where Samuel heard the voice of God as a young boy. I walked and considered what it must have been like to literally see the hills surrounding this site full of men, women and children who gathered to worship and to hear from God through the ministry of the priests.

One scripture came to mind as I sat and considered all those things yesterday morning:

I lift up my eyes to the mountains-where does my help come from?

My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot slip - he who watches over you will not slumber;

indeed he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

The LORD watches over you - the LORD is your shade at your right hand;

The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.

The LORD will keep you from all harm - he will watch over your life;

the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forever.

Psalm 121

Later in the afternoon, as a group, we were led in a responsive reading of the above scripture. That moment was very special for me...confirmation that this was one of the messages God had for my heart that day of travel.

The picture above was symbolic of another thing I felt near the end of the day. We were in the midst of traveling to the next site when our guide pointed out this specific scene. He said this is known as "Scraping the Surface"...an archaeological dig in process. I, too, feel like all I have seen and experienced is a mere 'scraping of the surface' of so much more. I am so very thankful to be a part of this trip to indeed dig deeper!