"Walking Ancient Paths - Israel Study Tour"

May 10-24, 2018

Subscription options are no longer available for this tour.

Help support our friends in Israel in their time of need.

God’s Provision in the Desert

Written by Nikki Rakestraw

Today we hiked down the Wadi Zohar and talked about God’s provision in the desert, how he always provides just enough of what we need; that we are to build our house, our life, on the foundation of the Rock and not on sand. After that, we headed to incredible historic site of Masada and toured the ruins of the fortress and palace that once stood there 2,000 years ago. Tired as we were from the previous two sites, wanting to be done for the day, we came to our final major stop of the day, En Gedi. There we talked about Living Water and the story of Jesus and the Samaritan Woman at the well.

It was so funny to me, as it seems God has a sense of humor, how everything today applied to directly what I had been spiritually wrestling with when I woke up this morning. The idea of ‘seeking’, a deep longing within me that cannot be satisfied by the things of this world, had been heavily on my heart as I watched the sunrise. I had a soulful discontentment and it frustrated me. I pleaded with the Lord to satisfy and settle my seeking heart. I argued with him throughout the day, accusing him of not providing me contentment and satisfaction. Yet the relentless theme throughout the day was, God provides just enough for what we need. Continually in the bible, as God met his people in the desert, he always provided just enough water, just enough food, just enough shade. God was reminding me that he is exactly enough for what I need. There was a moment in Wadi Zohar when the pain of a recent loss overcame me and I broke down. But in the midst of a dry and weary land, my community surrounded me in prayer and saturated me in love. As if God was not only communicating to my mind that he was enough, but also showed my heart that he was enough by providing me with the community of this trip. And when we talked about Christ as our Living Water at the waterfalls of En Gedi, I came to understand living water to be a free flowing, never ending source of satisfaction, a refreshment that cleanses and quenches our thirst for something, whatever that thing maybe. And that we are like the woman at the well, who had a soul thirst she tried to quench through earthly things, but Christ alone is our satisfaction, the Living Water that fulfills every thirst our soul longs for.

Learn more about Campus Ministry at GVSU

Wadi Zohar

Nahal Zohar was used as early as Israelite times 7th C BCE and during Roman-Byzantine times as a way to carry products from the Dead Sea: salt, asphalt, afarsimon perfume and dates to ports on the Mediterranean coast, Gaza and Ashkelon. In order to safeguard the way and collect the appropriate custom taxes there were forts, the remains of which can be seen today.










Upcoming Signature Tours

With 30 years of experience creating trips for other ministries, we've prepared our own signature study tours featuring some of our favorite itineraries and compelling teachers! If you've never been on a GTI Study Tour, take a moment to learn more about what you can expect.

GTI Signature Germany Study Tour
Sep 11-19, 2024
Learn More

Turkey / Greece Signature Study Tour
Sep 15-25, 2024
Learn More

Egypt / Jordan Signature Study Tour
Mar 5-17, 2025
Learn More