Day 1-The Holy Land Trip
Day 2, Part2- The Western Wall
The wilderness and the [a]wasteland shall be glad for them,
And the desert[b] shall rejoice and blossom as the rose;
2 It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice,
Even with joy and singing…
They shall see the glory of the Lord,
The excellency of our God….
For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness,
And streams in the desert.
7 The parched ground shall become a pool,
And the thirsty land springs of water;
In the habitation of jackals, where each lay,
There shall be grass with reeds and rushes.
8 A highway shall be there, and a road,
And it shall be called the Highway of Holiness…
9 No lion shall be there,
Nor shall any ravenous beast go up on it;
It shall not be found there.
But the redeemed shall walk there-
Isaiah 35
Day 4 January 12, Sunday
We drove today from Jerusalem (we checked out from Olive Tree hotel in Jerusalem) to Judean wilderness road/highway. On the road we saw a community of the Bedouins living in tents. Then we drove about an hour to the road through Qumram, Dead Sea and Masada. Saw huge rock formations, caves, and canyons along the En Gedi road which are desert and arid places. However, surprisingly, there were palm date orchards. The huge rocks and caves reminded us of the Scriptures in Psalm 18. “ The Lord is my rock and my fortress..” Some Bible stories came alive, the man who walked on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho and was helped by a Samaritan. (Luke 10:25-37). The story of David in 1 Samuel when he hid in caves in EnGedi. While driving, we had the view of the Dead Sea on the left, and and on the right were the huge rock formations, canyons and caves.
I will love You, O Lord, my strength.
2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
My God, my [a]strength, in whom I will trust;
My shield and the [b]horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
3 I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised;
So shall I be saved from my enemies. Psalm 18:1-2
The story of David when he stayed in the strongholds in the wilderness- I Samuel 23 and 24
O God, You are my God;
Early will I seek You;
My soul thirsts for You;
My flesh longs for You
In a dry and thirsty land
Where there is no water.
2 So I have looked for You in the sanctuary,
To see Your power and Your glory. – Psalm 63
Driving by Masada and Qumran, we some orchards of palm dates, green houses of herbs and other vegetable gardens.We saw water irrigation system implemented in the Judean wilderness, and even swimming pool resort.
It reminded me of the word in Isaiah 35, “the desert and the parched land will be glad, the wilderness will rejoice and blossom like the crocus. It will burst into bloom,…water will gush out forth into wilderness, burning sand will become a pool and thirsty ground bubbling springs. And a highway will be there, but only the redeemed will walk. “
The Creels' Catch 