Day 3 part 2

Day 3 continued…

After walking through the beautiful ‘garden of Eden’ like forest, shaded by trees, hearing the roar of the Jordan River, we came to a clearing. We could see clearly into the neighboring country of Lebanon. From the perch here you could see the border that divided one country from another. What a contrast between our peaceful atmosphere and the constant political turmoil of the region. There is a constant threat of war and the need to always be prepared. How like our own spiritual lives- even when we are on a mountaintop enjoying God’s beauty and peace, we must still be vigilant for spiritual attacks. We must guard against thinking it is our own power, for thinking we are somehow deserving, for thinking we are in control. It is God who gives and it is God who takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord.

Caesarea Philippi

My first impression of this place was the huge rock and cave. This gaping opening in the rocky mountainside where once the Jordan River flowed through was now devoid of the water, which flowed below. This was once a site of pagan worship. Greeks paid homage to Pan here, and later many other idols of deities were given prominent places alongside this opening. This place was referred to as the gate to the underworld. Worship here included animal and child sacrifices. In the once polytheistic culture you could come here and pick your idol on the rock wall. In Matthew 16:13 Jesus comes here with his disciples. “Who do you say I am?” he asks the disciples. After pointing out what various other people say about Jesus, Peter steps up in verse 16- “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Verse 17-18 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” So looking at this giant rock known then as the gate of the underworld, Jesus lays claim. I heard this in a Ray Vanderline video also but listening to the verse again while seeing this massive rock was a powerful testimony to Christ’s intent. “The gates of Hades will not overcome it”. If a gate is designed to be defensive, to keep people in and out, we are on the offensive. We are to be on the attack against Satan’s kingdom bringing people into Christ’s kingdom.

Mt. Bental

Our last stop for the day, we talked about Israel more recent struggles and political turmoil. We could see and walk through the bunkers used. I was impacted most by seeing so many casually dressed young men, late teens to early twenties, in shorts and tees, with a machine gun strapped around their chest. Military service is not optional in this small country. They take their training seriously and the need to be ready – always training, always ready.

At the end of the day thinking through the various places and stories I found myself once again struck by the necessity of perseverance in faith, and the need to overcome fear. I tried to reflect on the promises given in scripture and wrote a few down (these were off the top of my head- not a conclusive list and totally from memory- so if you are looking for accuracy dig in to your bible to find them ☺)
In Isaiah- I have never seen the righteous forsaken.
In Jeremiah- I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
In Philippians- I can do all things through Christ.
In John- I can do nothing apart from God.
Just a few promises in a bible filled with encouragement for choosing faith, for the power and love of an immense God that still cares for His creation. Pretty good stuff to live your life by, I think.