ASSEMBLIES OF GODSpend Time with God in Israel
While I was in the process of researching a recent book I wrote, I took a trip to Israel. I wasn't thrilled about going. I mean, it was an incredible opportunity, and I knew that. I wanted to be thrilled about going. But I had so many things on my mind that needed to be tended to back in my hometown. I couldn't bring myself to feel completely present in the moment.
My mind was spinning; I knew the book needed to be researched and written. I was responsible for leading a team of people at the office. I was traveling nonstop for the several weeks before the trip, and I was worried I left them without enough direction to do their jobs well.
I'll never forget, when the airplane landed in Tel Aviv and my phone started making all the noises it does after an international flight-buzzing and dinging with new e-mails, text messages, and missed calls. I felt a heavy weight settle on my shoulders and took a deep breath. God, what am I doing here? I should be in the office.
Has something like this ever happened to you? Maybe you felt like you needed to be in two places at once-like your daughter's dance recital and your son's baseball game, which happened to be scheduled at the same time. Maybe, you felt torn between spending the holidays with different family members in different parts of the country. Should I be here, or there? Maybe you've been on a vacation, but all you could do was think about how much work you had to do back home.
Little did I know when I arrived in Israel, God had me exactly where He wanted me.
I exited the plane with my group, and found my way to the tour guide who was waiting for us expectantly at baggage claim. Our guide, Marc, led us to the bus where he helped us load our suitcases and other belongings. Forty-five minutes after the plane landed, and we were all settled inside. I looked out the window of the shuttle bus, thinking to myself, again: God, what am I doing here?
That's when our guide's voice came over the loudspeaker. He said, "I want you to know you are here because God wants to spend time with you in this place." My jaw dropped. It was as if God was speaking directly to me in that moment. It was as if He was saying: Kerry, I'm not concerned with all the things you have to accomplish back in Springfield. Your team will be fine without you. I've got them in My hand. Your book will be fine, even if you don't work on it this week. The most important thing is that I spend some time with you. I have some things to show you.
Right there, on the shuttle bus, I experienced an incredible intimacy with God. The feeling is so sweet, once you've experienced it, you crave it all the time. God was talking to me like a husband would to a wife. He was saying: I just want to spend time with you! Will you slow down for a second so I can share with you some important truths?
Over the next several days, we toured Israel and learned facts and details about Jesus' life. Seeing the places in person was like experiencing the stories of the Bible all over again, with more weight and reality to them than I had ever felt before. I thought about all the passages of Scripture I read a dozen times before, and reminded myself: they happened here.
As I toured a country filled with lessons and history and tangible reminders of the Son of God (the place I "wasn't supposed to be") my tour guide said something I'll never forget. He said, "Jesus didn't give us a systematic theology, but He did teach us how to love." I hadn't thought about it that way before, but the more I explored the country of Israel, the more I learned about the life of Jesus, the more I realized it was true.