This trip to Israel was different than the previous three times I have visited. There were no deep experiences, no profound revelations and no visitations. The pace was slower and we spent more time in Jerusalem. However, an understanding began to form inside me.
I found myself becoming familiar with where things were in relation to each other. I knew how to get to the Cardo from the Jaffa Gate, and walked there by myself. I only became disconcerted for a moment when trying to confirm my plan with a leader who had been to Israel at least ten times. She didn’t know how to get to the Cardo from where we were. She assured me that I was headed in the general direction, however, so I decided to go with my gut and ventured off.
I also knew where a bathroom was located when someone needed one, and where to find an ATM machine. When traveling on the bus, my friend asked if we were passing a place we had visited last year. I assured her it was the same place, and that next door was the place we were planning to visit that evening.
To those of you who enjoy reading maps or are naturally good at directions, this may not seem particularly significant. I have never included myself in either one of those categories, often calling myself “geographically challenged.” I am happy to put myself in the care of those who know where they are going. So, it was a delightful experience to find that I knew my way around somewhat. I was beginning to feel like I was on home turf.
In the weeks before the trip, I kept hearing the phrase of scripture from Ps. 122, “My feet are standing in your gates, O Jerusalem”. Since I have returned home, I could change that to, “My heart is longing for your gates, O Jerusalem”. There is not an hour that goes by that my thoughts have not turned to that place. This time, I think I left my heart in God’s neighborhood. I think I left my heart in God’s backyard.
David had the same sentiment in Psalm 84. He said:
How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty!
My soul yearns, even faints for the courts of the Lord;
My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.
Even the sparrow has found a nest for her young—a place near your altar,
O Lord Almighty, my King and my God.
Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
They are ever praising you.
It is amazing that you can have two homes. I have a natural home here in Massachusetts, but I have a spiritual connection that is becoming more and more tangible in Jerusalem. It really feels like home. I think that is because when I go there, I am taking Him home, too. He comes home in me and I get to experience the feelings that He has for that place.
Jesus wept over Jerusalem. David's soul longed for the courts of the Lord. It feels like my heart stayed behind while I came home.
