A New Perspective of the Old City

Yesterday (by that I mean my yesterday, August 28) we drove up to Jerusalem, capital of the Holy Land. As we were driving up, my teacher (Benj Foreman) wanted us to read Psalm 122, a psalm of ascent. Benj stopped and focused around verse 6:

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! “May they be secure who love you!”

He asked us if we, Christians, were in sin if we did not pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Nobody was entirely sure how to answer. Continuing, Benj explained that there were some commands in the Book of Psalms that do not extend to Christians (Such as, Psalm 81:13 where a command to blow your trumpet at the new moon is found. Though some of us who played trumpet may have been obedient to this command on accident, it isn’t required for us to do).

However, he didn’t want us to just forget about the peace of Jerusalem because he knew what true, lasting peace in Jerusalem meant: Jesus Christ’s return! Praying for the peace of Jerusalem as a Christian can now be viewed as praying “Maranatha! O Lord come!” It is because God promised that he will return (in Zechariah 14:1-11, we read he will return on the Mount of Olives, the picture on the bottom) that we should have the confidence to pray more earnestly for that promise to be fulfilled.

Now, when I think about Jerusalem, I am not just thinking about a city where a lot of history has happened, but the arrival location of my risen Savior!

He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come,
Lord Jesus!

My Semester Abroad

In less than 24 hours, I leave for the holy land of Israel.  I am starting this blog to keep in contact with you, my friends and family.  I will miss you while I am away, but hope we can stay connected and encourage one another to live for Christ.

I have the privilege of studying at The Master’s College and this semester I will be studying abroad being a part of the Israel Bible EXtension program known as IBEX.  I will have the joy of studying God’s word in the land where it all happened.  I am excited to grow in the knowledge and grace of my Lord Jesus Christ!

Join me as I go to Israel on this great adventure!  Well, you can’t really join me but you can see these pictures and read these blogs!