He is worthy of trust

Bithu ba Adonai, Adei Ad. Ki beyah Adonai, tsur Olamin.

(Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting Rock)

"The Lord is my Rock and my Fortress, my Deliverer. He has enlarged my path under me, so my feet did not slip" Psalm 18

"I lift my eyes up to the mountains, where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to be moved, He who keeps you will not slumber"

Psalm 121

Sweat dripping, feet slipping, I gazed up at the craggy cliffs that surrounded me on all sides. The Psalms came to life, right before my eyes. I could hear David crying out to the Lord "My soul thirsts for you; My flesh longs for You in a dry and thristy land where there is no water. " (Psalm 63). In the Judean wilderness, God alone can save. He alone is Deliverer. Yet there is such hope when one abides in Him! "He shall be like a tree, planted by streams of living water, that bringeth forth fruit in its season" (Psalm 1).

In the midst of a dry and barren land, there is a cry for life in the desert oasises. I cannot describe the joy one feels after walking for hours in the deserty hills, only to round a corner to find streams of pools and palm trees!

The steep ravines and jagged cliffs gave me an insight to the Psalms I hitherto had missed. In my heart, I longed as the Psalmist did, for God to lead and guide me along the straight and narrow path. I thought of David in the cliffs above, hiding from Saul and wondering what God had in store. He learned to trust in those days, knowing that only God could bring about his kingship. "Why are you cast down, O my soul? Hope in God, for I will yet praise Him" (Psalm 42).

God is worthy of our trust. He has "searched me and known me" and He loves me still. "Where can I go from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there. If I make my bed in the depths of Sheol, You are there. If i rise on the wings of the dawn... even there your hand will guide me, Your right hand will hold me fast" (Psalm 139). Put your confidence in the God who is forever faithful, for He will never disappoint. He has fashioned and created you, and He is able to hold you still.

Hodu la Adonai! All praise to our God who is enthroned in the heavens!

It's the little things...

Life, for me, is all about the little things. Sipping coffee on a cold mountain in the morning, or smiling because your roommate covers up your cold toes during a movie. I love the things that make you stop and smile, the moments where you are completely satisfied and all you can do is sigh with contentment. So this is for the little things, the moments that are never grand enough to take up an entire but are so beautiful they make you smile!

1. I love waking up every morning and watching my beautiful, red-headed Texan roommate roll out of bed and greet me with a sleepy smile and a "good morning darlin', how did you sleep?"
2. I love playing guitar in worship band and smiling at Sarah when we find that perfect strum pattern, the one that makes you close your eyes and sing with your soul.
3. Walking up to breakfast and being greeted every morning by Sube, our restaurant manager, with a chipper "Boker Tov!" (Good morning!)
4. Sitting in the Old City of Jerusalem, sipping a cappuccino and listening to the church bells ring.
5. Laughing at Al when he smiles at me and says "What up cuz? Look at you swagging today girl! Get it!"  
6. Talking for hours and praying with Sami Jo and Natalie, smiling at how close we've gotten even though its only been 3 weeks!
7. Pita and hummus at lunch, its delicious!
8. Craving steak at the most random times of the day and night =)
9.  I love to see the appreciation, sometimes coupled with drool, when Becky our librarian pulls out peanut butter and nutella for our bagged lunches! Who knew you could miss food so much? haha
10. Learning about all the Biblical stories and have Benj finish it with.. "It happened right over that hill.. " or "right in that valley below you". Its crazy to think it all happened here!
11. I seriously drink probably 4 cups of tea a day. its utterly ridiculous.
12. Nothing quite compares to watching the sun sink below the Judean hills..
13. Laughing at Edward as he impersonated the black lady from church when she gets her spirit moves on in his church at home! oh gosh, i think we almost died from the tears!
14. More than anything though, i love having conversations about Jesus with the people here. Listening to testimonies and how the Lord has changed their lives has been such a blessing from heaven above!
15. And yes, i even love the random moments that make me think about my wonderful friends and family back home.. and miss them so much. What a blessing to love and be loved!

I'm sure there are many more i could put up.. but its time for dessert and girls time with my prayer group! i'll have to save them for my next random post =)
Shalom! 

Egyptian Politics

For all of you wondering about the Egyptian tension, this post is for you =)

The Egyptian rebellion is only one of the many upheavals going on in the Arab world. Yemin’s leader has resigned, Jordan has replaced her prime minister, and Tanzania is also in turmoil. Islamic dictatorships are falling at a rapid rate. The news is calling it the “facebook revolution” because those up in arms about it are getting the word out through facebook! Gotta love America’s contribution to world politics =) 

So what do the Israelis think about this change in government? For Americans, a government turnover excites us because we assume that the new government will be more democratic. The Middle East, however, doesn’t always work that way. My Israeli history teacher believes, as many Israelis do, that the new government will be more radically Islamic. The Arabs in Egypt are rebelling because of the high prices and lack of middle class (in Egypt, there are only the rich, mega rich, and destitutely poor) and the radical Islamists are sure to use this as a rationale for more power. Essentially, Egyptians are looking for a better life, regardless of where it comes from.

The Israelis are not too excited about it. The President of Egypt has secured peace between Israel and Egypt and his resignation will leave this peace treaty up in the air as to its continuation. Egyptian peace is critical to Israeli defense because they control the Sinai and keep terrorists out of that area. The Israelis are worried that the new government will be more anti-Israel and allow terrorists to run free along the border. Also, the new Egyptian government will most likely put more pressure on Israel to allow the creation of a Palestine State. As you can imagine, Israelis are NOT excited about that (maybe more on that later). Furthermore, a lot of Israel’s oil comes from Egypt so gas prices are sure to rise. (A catastrophe Americans know all to well!)

As always, American politicians look ridiculous. Obama made a point at the beginning of his term to offer his support to the Egyptian president. Now, the pride and joy of the American people, Obama and the always lovable Hilary Clinton, are presenting speeches in which they say absolutely nothing about the situation while endeavoring to support both sides in case one of them wins. Basically, they are supporting the president all the while stating it would be better for him to step down and allow the new regime to rise. Waffling American politicians keep the comedians busy in the international stage.  In case you weren’t keeping track, America’s contribution: Facebook and Comic material.   

Thankfully, God is in control of every situation. But it would still be beneficial to pray for peace!

King of the Jews

While this post may seem obvious to say the least, it has been such a reoccurring theme this semester I feel as if I must share it with you.

Christ is King of the JEWS. From the beginning of the pages of Scripture, God was preparing a people for Himself. The Jews were the ones to whom God would reveal Himself, and later send His Son "The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples... but because the Lord loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers... know therefore, that the Lord your God, He is God" (Deut 7:7-8).

As I walked through Jerusalem, stood on the site of the Fortress of Zion in the City of David, and sloshed through Hezekiah's tunnel, all I could think about was "this is the city of God". He ordained the events of the Old Testament, worked through His prophets, and set His love upon these people, in THIS place! "Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth, is Mount Zion, the city of the great King" (Psalm 48:2).

Christianity is a distinctly Jewish faith. It seems so obvious, yet the truth is still one to reflect upon. When Jesus came to earth, He was born a Jew and the majority of His ministry was to the Jewish people.When a Canaanite woman comes to Jesus to beg for help, His reply is astounding "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel... It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs" (Matt 15:27). Does this mean that Gentiles were never a part of God's plan? Of course not. But the unfathomable nature of the grace of God is even more wonderful when one understands the breadth of His mercy in offering it to us Gentiles.
"Praise the Lord, all nations; Laud him, ALL peoples! For His lovingkindness is great towards us, and the truth of the Lord is everlasting. Praise the Lord!" (Psalm 117).

And yet, the people here are so lost. To them was given the Law and the Prophets! Israel was the nation where God worked and sent His only Beloved Son and they have chosen to reject Him! My heart breaks for them. I watch them as they go to the synagogues, wearing their tassels and yarmulkes, and all I can think is "You missed it!" It is a warning to us. A knowledge of the truth does not save, nor does a history of God working. We would do well to heed the warning of Hebrews, to "pay close attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it... how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?" (2:1,3)

Praise the Lord for saving our souls! May we never forget the breadth of His grace in extending salvation to us Gentiles, and may it compel us to live daily as ministers of that grace!