Where should we praise God?

Today was a day of many stops. And, we praised Him everywhere.

As we loaded the bus in the cold pouring rain this morning, little did we know that we would end the day with a beautiful, warm sunset as we glided across the Sea of Galilee in a boat. 

We visited many sites in the Galilee region starting with Chorazin (in the rain). Here we toured the ruins of a small community as Pastor Adam brought to life Jesus’ message “that in my Father’s house are many rooms.” These rooms are being prepared for His family, just as they were in the archeological dwelling found in Chorazin. We praised God for our GBC family and our community of Ann Arbor.

We traveled to Tabgha (still raining) to stand on the shores of where Jesus may have called the fishermen as disciples. Adam shared several stories about Peter (rain continued). Jesus met Peter right where he was and asked him three times “do you love me?” Through this Biblical account, we were reminded of the many times Jesus invites us back to him asking … do you love me when times are hard? Do you trust me when trouble comes? Do you love me in the good and in the bad? As we wandered along the shore of Tabgha, the fog was heavy but we praised God. 

Next, we visited Capernaum, the place we Jesus performed many of his miracles. This place has extensive ruins from the 1st century including the synagogue where Jesus read the prophecy from Isaiah and declared the scripture had been fulfilled in their sight. We reflected on the many miracles of Jesus that took place in this town and praised God for the healing and miracles that surround us yet today.

As the rain continued, we journeyed to the Mount of Beatitudes to listen to Jesus’ sermon on the mount found in Matthew 5-7. Pastor Ty reminded us of the importance of mountains throughout the scriptures. Many “God stories” take place on mountains including those of Moses and Abraham. Today, we praised Him on this mountain.

In fog and mist, we trekked to the high cliffs of Mt. Arbel to do as Jesus did when he went to the mountain to pray. We prayed and praised God as the rain stopped and the sun broke through the clouds to provide our first glimpse of the Sea of Galilee at approximately 1,250 feet below. Brantley lead us in worship and praise. One of the team members described this time as “an intense, spirit-filled mountain top experience!” 

As the sun set, we took a boat across the Sea of Galilee. This freshwater lake is small in size yet big in the life of believers. Much of Jesus’ teachings took along the shores of this region and on this lake. As Brantley and Alex lead us in worship and scripture reading, we pondered some of these stories, spent personal reflection time and praised God.

So, today we praised Him in the rain, on a bus, in a synagogue, at the sea, in a boat and on two mountains.

We are drying out with the promise of sunshine tomorrow. We are safe, happy and “wowed” by God!