God's Presence and Compromises we make

Wow, what a day but that is probably said all the time. The reality is I needed today. To understand more, we need to back up. We have wanted to go to Israel since the very first trip Rocky Peak went on. The timing didn't work out for us until now. We've been anticipating for a while and getting ourselves ready. To be real though, the getting ready was a chore. There were lists and more lists. Packing list, shopping list, work list, home list, kids list, grandparents lists. Study lists, exercise schedules and many other areas of just life as we know it in Los Angeles crowding in. Lists are important and preparation is vital for any activity. As much as I hate lists and as much as I'd rather "just go with the flow", I've learned over the years that this is what I need to keep my personal and professional life in order. The only thing is in the middle of all the planning, I lost sight of why I wanted to come on the trip in the first place. I wanted to experience God's presence in the land where He revealed himself. I wanted to taste and see of the land. I heard so many stories of how the Bible comes alive in high definition color in Israel like no other place but I I got so consumed with all the "activity" that was to come that I lost my joy and anticipation for what was to come. I began to compromise. The trip became a chore. I prayed and read the Bible but even that seemed like a chore. I couldn't focus and would get distracted.

The month leading up to the trip, it seemed like spiritual and physical attacks were increasing. Our son came down with a week of depression. My wife's bird died. Our daughter started experiencing challenges at school. My wife was diagnosed with a digestive disorder. We had contractors at our house every morning starting at 7am working on a project we chose but it just felt like we have no place to retreat to except our bedrooms. Lists, noise, emotions and physical changes have been our and my story for the past three months. Months of compromise not Presence.

I travel internationally at least 20 times a year for work and this turned into just another trip with much more packing.

A friend told me prior to leaving that I traveled so much and I was such an "expert" that she prayed something would go wrong just so I can remember. Well, her prayers were answered. Upon check-in my carry-on was too heavy so I had to scramble to make it lighter. The flight was fine but the crew just seemed to constantly be in a rush which bugged me. We finally arrived in Israel and the passport control was another hurry up and wait. Off course as my friend prayed and I had joked, I ended up getting pulled aside for added questioning. After an hour of sitting around wondering what was going to happen, I answered the questions and proceeded to find a taxi to our hotel. Long, tiring flight, waiting in passport limbo, taxi ride to meet our group and arriving into a hotel undergoing construction, having the Bible come alive in 3D HD living color was the last thing on my mind! Now almost midnight and with a 6am wake up call, all I can think about was what to pack tomorrow, what to wear, what will we experience, and where will we go. More lists in my head.

Well that's when I started to hear the whispers. Despite being exhausted, I couldn't sleep. The Lord was stirring in me and I needed time to pray and process. I imagined the children of Israel wandering the dessert. I was confronted with my grumbling like they grumbled over water, comfort and food. I was confronted with my pride, selfishness and expectations.

My dessert began to lift as the first rays of sunshine came though in the cool of the morning. We had an amazing breakfast and as I tasted the fruit and bounty of this land, the honey and the yogurt, I was reminded of the land of milk and honey that the Lord promised his people.

Michael spoke today about the Lord's Presence. As we walked and stood on the top of overlooks reading names of towns and places from scripture, stories I have read since I was a child all of a sudden popped! We spoke about the threshing floor and I saw it. When the Bible spoke of the ancients "being gathered to their people" we were in front of a cave tomb and we learned the history of how the dead were buried and one year later the family comes back to the shallow grave to gather the bones and place them in the more permanent cave. Michael and Ronen taught about Samson. I always thought he was a hero. Once we read his story sitting on a hill in Israel, having seen the land and farming history, all of a sudden our eyes were opened to the fact that Samson was a Levite and everything he did was for his own strength rather than to exhault God's name. He lived a life of compromise.

He was chosen but he elected to focus on his own strength and rage rather than relying on his God. His compromise led to his destruction and trouble for his people.

The other person of focus for us today was David. We stood on the hill overlooking where David met Goliath. We could see David's hometown, Bethlehem in the distance and were surprised by shephards grazing their sheep on the way down the hill. Our eyes were opened again to the fact that Goliath fell forward not backward after being struck by he stone from David's slingshot meaning God struck him down forward. David had already been anointed and he was carrying out the plan the Lord had for him. We crawled in a cave similar to where David spent his time on the run from Saul. Those caves are tight and it's easy to hide but again a place of loneliness and contemplation. I experienced the still voices of the Lord.

The Lord spoke to me today though the contrast of Samson versus David. One lived his life in his own power and seeking his own power while the other sought the glory of His God and was surrendered to His will.

Michael reminded us early that our lives are like the ripples in a still lake once a pebble is thrown in. We radiate and effect others we touch. A life touching a life for a legacy of impact. It could be for the good or the bad. It depends who we are serving. Do we stay true to the Lord's Presence or do we compromise?

Our life is full of a lot of noise. A lot of running around and wondering where God's voice and presence is. His presence is found when we quiet our soul, open his word and listen to the whisper of his loving Spirit.

Today was only day one and despite that lack of sleep, I soaked Him all in. I can't wait for more of this land that Jesus walked, tasted of and drank of. The desert makes me more fully appreciate the Promised Land.

Milad Girgis