Home Away From Home: The Holy Lands

It’s difficult to find the words to say about a trip that contained so many of the best days of my life. Going to the holy lands on a three week long study abroad through Furman University was hands down, the best trip I’ve ever been on. I had never been that far away from home before, yet at the same time, had never felt so at home in a place that I had never been.

Some highlights for me included…

• The Mount of Beatitudes
• Magdala
• Tel Aviv
• The Wadi Rum Desert
• The Garden of Gethsemane
• Capernaum
• Caesarea

I could continue to list every amazing place we went, but there are just too many!

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I often associate music with certain seasons of my life, and the song I listened to most while I was in the holy lands was “I Give In” by the Lion’s Den. Some of the lyrics include…

I’m standing face to face with perfect peace

To you mercy and warm affection,

I’m awakened from end to end

For your goodness, I can’t unsee it

To your nearness, oh I give in

“I Give In” by The Lion’s Den

I wish I could explain how this song takes me right back to walking the streets of the old city in Jerusalem, or how it reminds of the scenery passing by as I sit on the bus awaiting my next adventure. I wish I could explain the nearness of Jesus in my spirit as I hear those lyrics. It’s unreal. He was right there with me in the holy lands, and I felt it in a way I had never felt Him before.

Going to Israel changed a lot of things for me. Now, when I read the gospels, I can see them. But as I transitioned back into normal life after being in the holy lands, I wondered if I would ever feel Jesus with me the same way I did when I was there. As those lyrics said, I completely gave into the nearness of Jesus in the holy lands. I was spending time where He spent time, looking at the same landscapes He did, and potentially even walking in some of the same spots He did. I was stuck in constant awe and wonder.

But if there was one thing the holy lands taught me about the nearness of Jesus, it was this: he is just as near to me now as he was then, if not even nearer.

Jesus doesn’t dwell within a temple, or a town, or a church—He dwells in the hearts of his people. He dwells in me. Every day I learn how to be close to Jesus all over again and every day I hope that nearness grows. The holy lands were an unforgettable experience that I hope to have once again, but because of Jesus’ death on the cross, I don’t have to enter a temple to feel His presence. I can feel his presence just as much now in my bedroom as I did along the Sea of Galilee. What a gift, friends. What a gift.

Whether you’re in the holy lands or not, you have the same opportunity every single day to give into the nearness of Jesus. He is just as close to you now as ever. He’s dying for you to give in.

If you want to hear any of the other songs I was listening to while I was in Israel, check them out here!