August 2010
Many of you knew twenty-five from our church went to the Holy Land in June. It was indeed an experience that I will cherish for a long time. It gave me a three-dimensional view to the Bible I read, sort of like bringing the “black and white” Bible stories alive.
Though time has changed, and the topology also differed from now and then, yet we could still vividly see the plain where Samson let loose of the three hundred foxes
with burning torches at their tails to burn up the field of the Philistines. At another occasion, we were standing at the edge of the Pool of Bethesda, imagining the underprivileged people who were hopelessly waiting to be healed. True, the pool had
since dried out, yet standing at the edge of the pool, it seemed that I could still “hear” the dialogue between the hopeless invalid and Jesus who gave him hope. Examples like these are too numerous to mention.
There were two distinct and impactful experiences for me on this trip. Through a winding road, we got to the top of Mount Nebo. I have always admired Moses, not because of his ability, but of his character. I wrote a sermon outline over ten years ago that I have yet to preach. It was about Moses on Mount Nebo. While I was standing there, I could see (though hazy) Lebanon to my right, Dead Sea to my left, and Jericho in the middle. All of a sudden, the true meaning of “leadership” overwhelmed me through the story of Moses on Mount Nebo. Suffering for the people and suffering with the people are what true leadership is all about, my friend! That moment deepened
my conviction to follow through with God’s plan for His people in spite of difficulty and regardless of my personal feeling.
We traveled from Israel to Egypt one day. We didn’t get to the hotel at the foot of Mount Sinai until it was dark, and we had to get up at 1:30am to hike to the top of Mount Sinai to watch sunrise. A camel took us two-third of the way, and we
hiked (quite strenuously) the rest of the way. In darkness and during the camel ride, the only place to look was the sky, and I saw countless number of stars, with the Milky Way spread out. In less than half an hour after we got to the top, we saw the Sun started to “peak out” from the East, and within a few minutes, we could see the full Sun hanging in the sky. We sang “How Great Thou Art!” Isn’t it true? God is great! We
anticipated the Sun to rise; we expected it to rise; and we were not disappointed. God, through His creation ensures us that we will not be disappointed in Him. As our “world” turns, we sometimes will face darkness, but we can be sure brightness is
just around the corner. What an awesome assurance I had that morning!
Before I sign off, I hope you too can be overwhelmed by the unchanging assurance of God. Many times the reason why we don’t see the vast number of stars and the Sun rises is because we are being distracted by the many things around us. The Bible says, “Be still, and know that I’m God”. Don’t let the turning world spin you around so much that you miss who God is in your life.
--Pastor Larry
