Sit, listen, and observe

Written by Cole Robinson

Day one of our Biblical study through Israel was stupefying. First, we traveled to Beer Sheba where we stood on top of the hill where Abram established an extremely important well. The hill top was further fortified and enlarged through the centuries by the remnants of peoples past. Stacie Post explained to us the this well was significant for the reason that it is a reminder of Abram’s devotion and faith to God. Asking him to leave his family and his father’s household, God was challenging Abram to strip himself of all the things that people during this time looked to define themselves and find their worth. Traveling further south, this group of excited and exhausted travelers found themselves in the depths of a remarkable canyon carved into the dust of the Negev Desert. The Avdat Canyon was the site of Ben Post communicating just how human Moses was. Full of doubt and fear, after being commanded by God to free the Israelites from Egypt, Moses first gave God multiple reasons why he should not be selected for this mission. However, God continued to remind Moses, just a man, and therefore deeply flawed, that it is not by his strength or abilities that this will be accomplished, but by God’s. After scaling the walls of the canyon, we had lunch and were refueled for our next big adventure…Camels! Yes, we rode camels in the middle of the desert, and I think I speak for everyone when I say it was a bucket list item checked off (ok probably not). Finally, we traveled to the strangely but aptly named “super bowl.” A large rift in the desert floor, surrounded by soaring walls of sculpted reddish sandstone, the super bowl served as the background for Ben’s message on Moses and the Israelites at the foot of Mnt. Sinai. Referencing Exodus chapter 19, Ben explained to the group the moments leading up to and following the Israelite’s commitment to God. Following this commitment by the people, Moses spent 40 days in the presence of God recording all the laws that would make up the rest of the Torah. Ascending from the mountain, Moses’s face was glowing, emulating the glory of God. Furthermore, he spoke about how Jews absolutely adore their Torah and even celebrate it in high reverence. This scripture and story about loving the word of God were used to explain how our lives can be changed if we were to treat the Bible with the same passion and then we might grow so close to God that his glory as can be seen in us.

My highlight of the day was seeing God’s majesty and feeling his presence in the magnitude and magnificence of the super bowl (that obviously has a Hebrew name that I cannot spell). Ben gave us his massage and then gave us a few minutes to just sit, listen, and observe. He simply asked us to be calm and wait to hear if God might have something to tell us. As for me, I may not have heard an audible voice, but it was His majesty and power that became palpable. Starring off into the distance of this harsh and beautiful rift valley, the wind tearing as the loose fabric of my shirt, I could feel God confirming the truths that He is always present and He is in control. It was in this moment that I was able to surrender the control that I often pine for in these situations of adventure and discovery. Going forward and traveling through the rest of the Holy Land, I am incredibly excited to see how else God will move and be felt by myself and hopefully many others.

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