Letters from Jerusalem
December 31, 2019
"Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon’s porch. Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, “How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me. But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. I and My Father are one.” John 10:22-30
Oh LOVING GREETINGS DEAREST sisters and brothers- beloved, chosen to follow The Lamb and then choosing to follow Him! May you be encouraged toward Him, blessed and edified …and may The Lord…The Light of the world…The only begotten Son of The Father…The Lamb…MESSIAH…The Word made flesh…THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY…THE GREAT I AM…MAY HE ALONE BE GLORIFIED, blessed and comforted in His children today.
Greetings! As the year draws toward a close. Greetings as we choose, TODAY, HIS LIGHT!
The eight candles and the 'shamas', the middle, lifted up 'servant candle', are freshly lined up in our chanukiah waiting for my husband to come home from work; it is the last light of the 8 day celebration tonight! "Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon’s porch." The Light of the world, walking in His Temple during the feast of the dedication…the feast that celebrates re-dedication of the temple after its desecration by the Greeks who (among other atrocities) sacrificed un-kosher pigs -("Also the swine is unclean for you, because it has cloven hooves, yet does not chew the cud; you shall not eat their flesh or touch their dead carcasses."Deut 14:8 and Levit 11:7 for just two examples) on the holy altar of God. Modern Chanukah celebrated the triumph of the Maccabees over the Greeks, but the most important part to me…and the part that I grew up hearing about most and wondering at was that when the filth was cleaned out of the temple and the Priest went to light the menorah…the eternal lamp…there was only one sealed flask of the prescribed oil… enough for just one night! The oil took a week to prepare…so by faith he lit the one lamp…BUT GOD! WHO WAS RICH IN MERCY THEN AS NOW, MULTIPLIED THE OIL NIGHT AFTER NIGHT…FOR 8 NIGHTS THE LAMP BURNED UNTIL THE FRESH OIL HAD BEEN PREPARED ACCORDING TO THE DIRECTIONS THAT MOSES HAD BEEN GIVEN BY GOD AND DELIVERED TO THE PEOPLE! Chanukah! The festival of Light…of multiplied Light! And THE LIVING LIGHT WALKED IN THE TEMPLE! "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow me…" He said during Chanukah in the temple… the temple that was His. What a picture!
But He is STILL walking here…and where you are as well…and STILL reasoning with those who will listen and still speaking to all who will hear. I think about that in the hustle and bustle of the packed train and bus. At least I TRY to think about that…to remember that for THIS cause He came…NOT because we were righteous…but because we are filled with sin and darkness and yet Abba created us for Himself and He still reaches out and loves us.
I looked around at the faces today. The train was PACKED! When I left for work at 6 this morning I was surprised to see the train full. Usually on my way to work it is reasonably empty but today it was jammed and I wondered what was going on. Perhaps they were all going for their flu shots? Influenza is particularly virulent this year. I didn't have much time to wonder because once at work I was surrounded by throngs of sick people who had NOT gone for their flu shot and were now at the doctors with influenza. It was a BUSY day! Coming home, traffic was at a standstill. It took me 45 minutes to get to the train by bus! So many big families…baby carriages and twin strollers crowded the aisles of the train as little ones peered out of the windows with small happy faces. This year, it didn't seem as if as many locals were stuffing themselves with sofganiyot (the traditional oily jelly donut), latkas ( a sort of potato pancake) bunuelos or sfenj (sort of like sofganiyot…a more middle eastern traditional fried sweet dough)… none- the-less, the tasty fares were everywhere as Jerusalem hosted a record breaking number of tourists this year and they wanted to taste it ALL… So our bakeries weren't TOO impacted by the health concerns of the locals.
Large electric Chanukiahs dot the city neighborhoods and at sundown people gather around them as they are lit and sing traditional songs. It is a festive time. We used to have one of these large public Chanukiahs across from our apartment but there was none this year. When we first made aliyah, they were gas lights. I loved watching them lit and their flames flickering in the wind. Now they are electric bulbs. Times are rougher now…people are rougher…and times change all things.
A friend drew my attention to comments made by Israel's IDF (military) Chief, Aviv Kochavi this week as he spoke before the conference at the Interdisciplinary Center in Hertzliya. They were sobering. He spoke of our now open and undercover operations in Syria and around the area against Iran…which have been far more frequent and brazen…"even at the risk of war." He warned Israeli civilians to "mentally prepare" for heavy fire will be directed against our home front"…continuing "I'm looking people in the eye, and saying, there will be heavy fire. We have to recognize this and we have to prepare for this…We have to prepare for this militarily; the civil hierarchies have to prepare for this ; and we have to prepare for this mentally."
Yes Lord. "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow me…" …'We trust You Lord…through whatever fire we must pass…that You will lead us and that Your rod and Your staff…and Your Voice WILL lead and comfort us…and enable us to walk in a manner that will glorify You!.'
My mind turns to another local news article that I saw '11 Christian men executed in Nigeria by Isis as retribution for the death of their leader…' I thought about those "11 Christian men" who were chosen because they were Christian…and went with Him into the fire…and came out the other side into His Presence. 'Prepare us mentally, Lord, to be part of Your solution and not part of the problem!'.
And time has run swiftly and now it is the eve of 2020!
When we made aliyah, this was definitely a day NOT mentioned! It was a distinction made on the Western calendar - observed in the west…and NOT on the Hebrew calendar/ NOT observed here! If someone said 'Happy New Year' everyone around him frowned in obvious disapproval. We made aliyah during the days of the Russian aliyah, and the secular Russians celebrated New Year (Sylvester) the way that secular westerners celebrate Christmas…yes…it was frowned upon.
Times change.
It seems to me that the major 'foreign languages' that I hear today on the trains and buses are French and English. The Hebrew (and Arabic)/Russian signs have been replaced for the most part (in Jerusalem anyway) by Hebrew (and Arabic) /French / English. Is it the dramatic rise in anti-semitism in the west? Perhaps. With the rise of western immigration, the New Year according to the western calendar has pressed through. I hear of and see signs announcing restaurants celebrating, balloons appear with 2020 written on them…among the western young people on the train I see a 'party excitement' and listen to their plans…somewhat with dismay; is it my age? I think about how He had come into my life just before I was 30 and I am thankful that He gave me direction that these poor sheep do not have yet.
And so I pray.
And I pray to pray…because I don't pray enough and can get 'weary in well doing'.
But my people stand at the door of … what? Eternity for sure…and how can I but pray??
My boss announced to me that he plans to retire this coming October. There are not many places for a 74 year old to find fresh work…and so as the new year lies ahead I am reminded that none of us EVER knows what is ahead. James reminds us of that so well: "Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin." James 4:13-17
HOWEVER…KNOWING THE GREAT MERCY OF GOD…I look ahead to the year before us…for us and for you…and I know that as I ask Him to glorify His Name…I am asking according to His will. If I ask Him to fill me with His Holy Spirit daily…I am asking a good thing…and with THAT RE-ASSURANCE I pray that you and I will walk into this new year with BLESSING!
I truly miss you…your fellowship…and I am thankful for each one of you who prays for Israel and our people… who remembers our family…and who even takes precious TIME to read these letters! May they be a sweet smelling savor for His glory alone! God Bless you and Keep you and make HIS Face to shine upon you…and give you (and me) His Peace.
Lovingly, your sister here
PS. The IFI yearly prayer conference here in Jerusalem is set to begin 20 Jan…IF…by any chance…He is still prodding any of you to come…please do as He says.
"Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon’s porch. Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, “How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me. But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. I and My Father are one.” John 10:22-30
Oh LOVING GREETINGS DEAREST sisters and brothers- beloved, chosen to follow The Lamb and then choosing to follow Him! May you be encouraged toward Him, blessed and edified …and may The Lord…The Light of the world…The only begotten Son of The Father…The Lamb…MESSIAH…The Word made flesh…THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY…THE GREAT I AM…MAY HE ALONE BE GLORIFIED, blessed and comforted in His children today.
Greetings! As the year draws toward a close. Greetings as we choose, TODAY, HIS LIGHT!
The eight candles and the 'shamas', the middle, lifted up 'servant candle', are freshly lined up in our chanukiah waiting for my husband to come home from work; it is the last light of the 8 day celebration tonight! "Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon’s porch." The Light of the world, walking in His Temple during the feast of the dedication…the feast that celebrates re-dedication of the temple after its desecration by the Greeks who (among other atrocities) sacrificed un-kosher pigs -("Also the swine is unclean for you, because it has cloven hooves, yet does not chew the cud; you shall not eat their flesh or touch their dead carcasses."Deut 14:8 and Levit 11:7 for just two examples) on the holy altar of God. Modern Chanukah celebrated the triumph of the Maccabees over the Greeks, but the most important part to me…and the part that I grew up hearing about most and wondering at was that when the filth was cleaned out of the temple and the Priest went to light the menorah…the eternal lamp…there was only one sealed flask of the prescribed oil… enough for just one night! The oil took a week to prepare…so by faith he lit the one lamp…BUT GOD! WHO WAS RICH IN MERCY THEN AS NOW, MULTIPLIED THE OIL NIGHT AFTER NIGHT…FOR 8 NIGHTS THE LAMP BURNED UNTIL THE FRESH OIL HAD BEEN PREPARED ACCORDING TO THE DIRECTIONS THAT MOSES HAD BEEN GIVEN BY GOD AND DELIVERED TO THE PEOPLE! Chanukah! The festival of Light…of multiplied Light! And THE LIVING LIGHT WALKED IN THE TEMPLE! "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow me…" He said during Chanukah in the temple… the temple that was His. What a picture!
But He is STILL walking here…and where you are as well…and STILL reasoning with those who will listen and still speaking to all who will hear. I think about that in the hustle and bustle of the packed train and bus. At least I TRY to think about that…to remember that for THIS cause He came…NOT because we were righteous…but because we are filled with sin and darkness and yet Abba created us for Himself and He still reaches out and loves us.
I looked around at the faces today. The train was PACKED! When I left for work at 6 this morning I was surprised to see the train full. Usually on my way to work it is reasonably empty but today it was jammed and I wondered what was going on. Perhaps they were all going for their flu shots? Influenza is particularly virulent this year. I didn't have much time to wonder because once at work I was surrounded by throngs of sick people who had NOT gone for their flu shot and were now at the doctors with influenza. It was a BUSY day! Coming home, traffic was at a standstill. It took me 45 minutes to get to the train by bus! So many big families…baby carriages and twin strollers crowded the aisles of the train as little ones peered out of the windows with small happy faces. This year, it didn't seem as if as many locals were stuffing themselves with sofganiyot (the traditional oily jelly donut), latkas ( a sort of potato pancake) bunuelos or sfenj (sort of like sofganiyot…a more middle eastern traditional fried sweet dough)… none- the-less, the tasty fares were everywhere as Jerusalem hosted a record breaking number of tourists this year and they wanted to taste it ALL… So our bakeries weren't TOO impacted by the health concerns of the locals.
Large electric Chanukiahs dot the city neighborhoods and at sundown people gather around them as they are lit and sing traditional songs. It is a festive time. We used to have one of these large public Chanukiahs across from our apartment but there was none this year. When we first made aliyah, they were gas lights. I loved watching them lit and their flames flickering in the wind. Now they are electric bulbs. Times are rougher now…people are rougher…and times change all things.
A friend drew my attention to comments made by Israel's IDF (military) Chief, Aviv Kochavi this week as he spoke before the conference at the Interdisciplinary Center in Hertzliya. They were sobering. He spoke of our now open and undercover operations in Syria and around the area against Iran…which have been far more frequent and brazen…"even at the risk of war." He warned Israeli civilians to "mentally prepare" for heavy fire will be directed against our home front"…continuing "I'm looking people in the eye, and saying, there will be heavy fire. We have to recognize this and we have to prepare for this…We have to prepare for this militarily; the civil hierarchies have to prepare for this ; and we have to prepare for this mentally."
Yes Lord. "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow me…" …'We trust You Lord…through whatever fire we must pass…that You will lead us and that Your rod and Your staff…and Your Voice WILL lead and comfort us…and enable us to walk in a manner that will glorify You!.'
My mind turns to another local news article that I saw '11 Christian men executed in Nigeria by Isis as retribution for the death of their leader…' I thought about those "11 Christian men" who were chosen because they were Christian…and went with Him into the fire…and came out the other side into His Presence. 'Prepare us mentally, Lord, to be part of Your solution and not part of the problem!'.
And time has run swiftly and now it is the eve of 2020!
When we made aliyah, this was definitely a day NOT mentioned! It was a distinction made on the Western calendar - observed in the west…and NOT on the Hebrew calendar/ NOT observed here! If someone said 'Happy New Year' everyone around him frowned in obvious disapproval. We made aliyah during the days of the Russian aliyah, and the secular Russians celebrated New Year (Sylvester) the way that secular westerners celebrate Christmas…yes…it was frowned upon.
Times change.
It seems to me that the major 'foreign languages' that I hear today on the trains and buses are French and English. The Hebrew (and Arabic)/Russian signs have been replaced for the most part (in Jerusalem anyway) by Hebrew (and Arabic) /French / English. Is it the dramatic rise in anti-semitism in the west? Perhaps. With the rise of western immigration, the New Year according to the western calendar has pressed through. I hear of and see signs announcing restaurants celebrating, balloons appear with 2020 written on them…among the western young people on the train I see a 'party excitement' and listen to their plans…somewhat with dismay; is it my age? I think about how He had come into my life just before I was 30 and I am thankful that He gave me direction that these poor sheep do not have yet.
And so I pray.
And I pray to pray…because I don't pray enough and can get 'weary in well doing'.
But my people stand at the door of … what? Eternity for sure…and how can I but pray??
My boss announced to me that he plans to retire this coming October. There are not many places for a 74 year old to find fresh work…and so as the new year lies ahead I am reminded that none of us EVER knows what is ahead. James reminds us of that so well: "Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin." James 4:13-17
HOWEVER…KNOWING THE GREAT MERCY OF GOD…I look ahead to the year before us…for us and for you…and I know that as I ask Him to glorify His Name…I am asking according to His will. If I ask Him to fill me with His Holy Spirit daily…I am asking a good thing…and with THAT RE-ASSURANCE I pray that you and I will walk into this new year with BLESSING!
I truly miss you…your fellowship…and I am thankful for each one of you who prays for Israel and our people… who remembers our family…and who even takes precious TIME to read these letters! May they be a sweet smelling savor for His glory alone! God Bless you and Keep you and make HIS Face to shine upon you…and give you (and me) His Peace.
Lovingly, your sister here
PS. The IFI yearly prayer conference here in Jerusalem is set to begin 20 Jan…IF…by any chance…He is still prodding any of you to come…please do as He says.
December 17, 2019
"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart— These, O God, You will not despise."
PSALM 51:17
Greetings dear sisters and brothers in Light, in the season when The Light is celebrated. May you and I be filled with His Light for His glory alone…and may we reflect His Light to a very lost and dying world. May you be encouraged and refreshed toward Him and may He be glorified and blessed. May we bring JOY to the heart of God.
You well know by now that things here during this time of year are VERY different than in Western countries. The lack of commercialism and the rush to prepare and purchase should leave us the space to ponder and wonder and worship Him Who sent The Light into darkness. I love how Chanukah and the celebration of the birth of Messiah come together…BOTH being the miracle of Light…the multiplication of Light…the wonder of Light.
This year (dare I say) 'things are a bit different'. Well…I guess I could (and maybe 'do?') say that EVERY year, but this year for sure…the system here is broken!
There is, perhaps, nothing more beautiful than a broken and contrite spirit before The Lord.
A broken 'system' is something else!
I am learning what it means to have no government; I am watching it up close…and I see that it is teaching me a lot.
A week ago today (last Tuesday), I received an electric bill. It was for Aug, Sept and Oct and it was due early in October. HUM! 'I will have to pay this asap!' I thought, and put it on the table. At that very moment a text message appeared on my phone. Once I deciphered it I realized that it said that our electricity bill was overdue and that the company would turn off our electricity 'today'! Thankfully Tuesday is one of the two days that the Post Office is open until 8pm. It was 5:30 and I ran out the door.
BUT…before running out the door…I did stop to pray!
Thank GOD!
I prayed for the fruit of The Spirit to be evident.
I prayed for patience and that I could be a light in the midst of the people.
THEN I ran out the door!
As I approached the post, from a block away I could see a crowd of people outside. This is NOT a good sign! I recalled the days when there were no numbers given out and there were no seats…so as I entered, I was thankful for both…especially because my number showed that there were 40 'regular' people ahead of me. By 'regular' I mean that there is another unknown amount who are clever enough to 'order their appointments at the Post online.' I have not succeeded so I am stuck with a number that reminds me of buying a 'bleachers' seat as a kid in NYC at a baseball game. The bleachers 'seats' cost a dollar and were probably a mile away from the game itself along the very top back rows of the stadium. Here I was there with a 'bleachers' number. Thankfully I am old enough that someone gave me a seat.
I took out my knitting.
It didn't take long for things to heat up. A number was skipped. Someone else who had waited for a package for over an hour was told that they couldn't find it. Someone else tried to push in without a number. The time was getting late and more and more people arrived. People were tired and hungry. There were two clerks. Two VERY TIRED looking clerks.
After two hours, my number approached and I stood up. Several other people also stood up and I SHOULD have understood that they had 'had it' and they were ABOUT to 'rush the poor clerks en masse'!
They did.
One young woman pushed her way to the clerk and told him that she had 'waited long enough'. He told her that her turn was soon but not yet and he wouldn't take her yet. She began shouting abuses at him. 'Ha doar h'Yisraelit zeh ZEVEL!' she yelled as she threw her number on the floor and ran out in a rage. (The Israeli postal system is garbage! - translation). People backed off.
I prayed…and I suddenly realized that IN THE MIDST…I had DEEP PEACE! I was not agitated by the anger around me, (normally my flesh would react with tension) nor was I angry or impatient. Oh I could only thank Him with wonder that yes He had answered that hurried prayer with His fruit of DEEP PEACE!
And oh how PRECIOUS that DEEP PEACE IS! I would trade it for NOTHING!
My turn came and I greeted the clerk. 'Erev tov!' (good evening). I thanked him for his work and apologized for the abusive words that he has to suffer. His answer was sobering however: 'She is right! Look at this! The system is completely broken down. It is not functioning…it is BROKEN!'
I thought again about the fruits of Judgment and God's ways in (His) Judgment.
PSALM 144:14,15 says at the end of this wonderful prayer "That our oxen may be well laden; That there be no breaking in or going out; That there be no outcry in our streets. Happy are the people who are in such a state;
Happy are the people whose God is the Lord!"
I have been blessed to see the fundamental workings of government up close in a rather unique situation as a resident of a tiny remote Alaskan village for many years. 'WE' really were the government! The village had to have some order to run smoothly, and to do that nearly EVERY able bodied and minded adult HAD to participate. It really wasn't a choice but a necessity. So I leaned.
Now I am seeing how quickly a society breaks down when there is no functioning government…no unchallenged leader with authority. It has now been over a year that we are in this state and each time the head of a service disappears for some reason or other, there is no longer anyone at the helm in authority to make decisions. I have heard for quite awhile about the visa problems that long term volunteers are having. There is no one in authority to authorize long term visas! The postal system is broken right along with the health system and the education system…just to name a few of the services that we have counted on.
AND HE GIVES HIS PEACE!
I literally stood in awe last Tuesday and Wednesday thinking about this. Is this one of His gifts in the midst of judgment? When people are angry and panicking, He gives us such Peace that is not natural? I kept 'looking' at this Peace…'feeling' it and thanking Him for it…AND pressing into Him to understand ALL that He was trying to show me.
I want to thank you…those of you who actually take time to read this…to pray…to care. I know that each of you have your own burdens and yet He has given you a heart for Israel…because it IS HIS HEART. Thank you for caring.
I hope to write again next week about Chanukah (which begins with the first candle on Sunday night), but if I don't…I DO wish you all a season of deep Peace in The Light of His Truth…for His glory, your sister here.
"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart— These, O God, You will not despise."
PSALM 51:17
Greetings dear sisters and brothers in Light, in the season when The Light is celebrated. May you and I be filled with His Light for His glory alone…and may we reflect His Light to a very lost and dying world. May you be encouraged and refreshed toward Him and may He be glorified and blessed. May we bring JOY to the heart of God.
You well know by now that things here during this time of year are VERY different than in Western countries. The lack of commercialism and the rush to prepare and purchase should leave us the space to ponder and wonder and worship Him Who sent The Light into darkness. I love how Chanukah and the celebration of the birth of Messiah come together…BOTH being the miracle of Light…the multiplication of Light…the wonder of Light.
This year (dare I say) 'things are a bit different'. Well…I guess I could (and maybe 'do?') say that EVERY year, but this year for sure…the system here is broken!
There is, perhaps, nothing more beautiful than a broken and contrite spirit before The Lord.
A broken 'system' is something else!
I am learning what it means to have no government; I am watching it up close…and I see that it is teaching me a lot.
A week ago today (last Tuesday), I received an electric bill. It was for Aug, Sept and Oct and it was due early in October. HUM! 'I will have to pay this asap!' I thought, and put it on the table. At that very moment a text message appeared on my phone. Once I deciphered it I realized that it said that our electricity bill was overdue and that the company would turn off our electricity 'today'! Thankfully Tuesday is one of the two days that the Post Office is open until 8pm. It was 5:30 and I ran out the door.
BUT…before running out the door…I did stop to pray!
Thank GOD!
I prayed for the fruit of The Spirit to be evident.
I prayed for patience and that I could be a light in the midst of the people.
THEN I ran out the door!
As I approached the post, from a block away I could see a crowd of people outside. This is NOT a good sign! I recalled the days when there were no numbers given out and there were no seats…so as I entered, I was thankful for both…especially because my number showed that there were 40 'regular' people ahead of me. By 'regular' I mean that there is another unknown amount who are clever enough to 'order their appointments at the Post online.' I have not succeeded so I am stuck with a number that reminds me of buying a 'bleachers' seat as a kid in NYC at a baseball game. The bleachers 'seats' cost a dollar and were probably a mile away from the game itself along the very top back rows of the stadium. Here I was there with a 'bleachers' number. Thankfully I am old enough that someone gave me a seat.
I took out my knitting.
It didn't take long for things to heat up. A number was skipped. Someone else who had waited for a package for over an hour was told that they couldn't find it. Someone else tried to push in without a number. The time was getting late and more and more people arrived. People were tired and hungry. There were two clerks. Two VERY TIRED looking clerks.
After two hours, my number approached and I stood up. Several other people also stood up and I SHOULD have understood that they had 'had it' and they were ABOUT to 'rush the poor clerks en masse'!
They did.
One young woman pushed her way to the clerk and told him that she had 'waited long enough'. He told her that her turn was soon but not yet and he wouldn't take her yet. She began shouting abuses at him. 'Ha doar h'Yisraelit zeh ZEVEL!' she yelled as she threw her number on the floor and ran out in a rage. (The Israeli postal system is garbage! - translation). People backed off.
I prayed…and I suddenly realized that IN THE MIDST…I had DEEP PEACE! I was not agitated by the anger around me, (normally my flesh would react with tension) nor was I angry or impatient. Oh I could only thank Him with wonder that yes He had answered that hurried prayer with His fruit of DEEP PEACE!
And oh how PRECIOUS that DEEP PEACE IS! I would trade it for NOTHING!
My turn came and I greeted the clerk. 'Erev tov!' (good evening). I thanked him for his work and apologized for the abusive words that he has to suffer. His answer was sobering however: 'She is right! Look at this! The system is completely broken down. It is not functioning…it is BROKEN!'
I thought again about the fruits of Judgment and God's ways in (His) Judgment.
PSALM 144:14,15 says at the end of this wonderful prayer "That our oxen may be well laden; That there be no breaking in or going out; That there be no outcry in our streets. Happy are the people who are in such a state;
Happy are the people whose God is the Lord!"
I have been blessed to see the fundamental workings of government up close in a rather unique situation as a resident of a tiny remote Alaskan village for many years. 'WE' really were the government! The village had to have some order to run smoothly, and to do that nearly EVERY able bodied and minded adult HAD to participate. It really wasn't a choice but a necessity. So I leaned.
Now I am seeing how quickly a society breaks down when there is no functioning government…no unchallenged leader with authority. It has now been over a year that we are in this state and each time the head of a service disappears for some reason or other, there is no longer anyone at the helm in authority to make decisions. I have heard for quite awhile about the visa problems that long term volunteers are having. There is no one in authority to authorize long term visas! The postal system is broken right along with the health system and the education system…just to name a few of the services that we have counted on.
AND HE GIVES HIS PEACE!
I literally stood in awe last Tuesday and Wednesday thinking about this. Is this one of His gifts in the midst of judgment? When people are angry and panicking, He gives us such Peace that is not natural? I kept 'looking' at this Peace…'feeling' it and thanking Him for it…AND pressing into Him to understand ALL that He was trying to show me.
I want to thank you…those of you who actually take time to read this…to pray…to care. I know that each of you have your own burdens and yet He has given you a heart for Israel…because it IS HIS HEART. Thank you for caring.
I hope to write again next week about Chanukah (which begins with the first candle on Sunday night), but if I don't…I DO wish you all a season of deep Peace in The Light of His Truth…for His glory, your sister here.