Psalm 84 and My Visit to Israel
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 woman 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.
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 real 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 the feelings I have are His for that place.
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