Last April I went to Israel and spent 10 days there. I had always wanted to go sometime in my life, and this opportunity came out of, seemingly, nowhere. I didn’t have the finances to pay for the trip myself, but the Lord supernaturally supplied the finances to go. Glory be to God!
The time spent there was amazing. I got to see all of the places that I have read about all my life. I got to walk where Jesus walked and see the places that changed all of history and mankind. I was 30 years old when I went and I got re-baptized in the Jordan river…at the age of 30! That was very special to me. Knowing that Jesus Himself was baptized in that river at 30 years old. I did it as a symbol of my devotion to go into full time ministry for the Lord. I got to see the garden tomb, one of the two places that they believe our Lord was buried and was resurrected. I got to see the Sea of Galilee and Capernaum, two places that Jesus was often at during His life and earthly ministry. All of these places were wonderful to see, but I was most impacted by seeing the Garden of Gethsemane. There were olive trees there that they know are over 2000 years old. To see those trees and to think that Jesus could have prayed underneath one or leaned on it when He was under such pressure because of the next hours that awaited Him was sobering, to say the least.
When I was getting ready to go on the trip, I was expecting to have this great epiphany or huge spiritual awakening being at the very places where all these important events happened. I was amazed and in awe of the fact that I didn’t really feel “closer” to God, like I had expected to be. It was then that I realized, it isn’t about the places that these things happened. Yes, it is wonderful to see them. It is fantastical and wonderful that all this history and events happened there, but it won’t bring us closer to God. Why is that? Because God is in us! He is always with us and the only way we can get closer to Him is through His Word. “So then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God” -Romans 10:17. God is no closer or nearer to you or me than the time we spend in His Word. If we want these great moments and our faith to build, we have to spend time reading, meditating, studying and especially listening to the Word of God.
He is always with you. He promises to never leave, nor forsake you. Stay thankful for a God that doesn’t live in a certain place on earth and you have to go there to experience Him. We have a God that you can always find. You can find Him in your car, your house, in a restaurant, in the doctor’s office. He is in all these places because He is inside of you, at all times!