Day 2 - Shabbat Shalom!

We started the day having coffee with 3 of the 4 South Africans we met yesterday.  We listened to the stories of how each of them discovered their Jewish roots as followers of Jesus and how they are following Him passionately.  It was interesting to see the similarities of what God is doing in our two communities.  We are so blessed that God has drawn Pastor Scott to understand Jesus as the Jewish Messiah and wrestle with that in today's expression of church and walking out our faith.

We lunched at a place just outside Jaffa Gate where Matt inquired about the bacon on the menu, "Is it pig?" Well, something like that.  Yes, it was bacon!  Pork in Jerusalem - go figure.

We headed to the Western Wall where we each spent time in prayer.  After praying at the wall, I sat to read scripture.  Overhead, I could hear the noise of the Palestinian army moving about in the walkway that leads to the Temple Mount. It extends over the right side of the area where the women pray.  In the heat of the day the walkway casts a shadow that the women sit under to read and pray.  It's completely safe. Reflecting on the time, I can now see clearly that there are times in life where we are in the "shadow of the enemy"and we can hear the rumbling very near and it can be a distraction.  But then I remember that as a child of God I rest in the shelter of the most high God and in the shadow of His wings I rejoice.  The distraction falls away and I'm at rest in the shadow of the Almighty.  It's a sweet place of rest.

After hours in the sun and walking we headed back to the apartment to clean up and take a much needed nap.  Thank God for naps!

And now I get to testify to how amazingly good God is!  But I must go back to go forward.  Months ago as we were planning this trip I felt very strongly we were to have a Shabbat (Sabbath) experience and that it is something that we should organize for future prayer trips.  So, I began to ask everyone with connections in the land to see what they could come up with.  Nothing panned out.  I prayed.  I asked God to open an invitation for us to participate in Shabbat dinner - a truly Jewish experience - to help us understand how the Sabbath is truly a time that is set aside, sanctified unto the Lord.  Last night after we prayed for 4 complete strangers at the prayer house, one invited us to Shabbat dinner.  I almost unleashed a squeal of sheer delight as I tend to do, but I didn't want to frighten him.  So, I simply told him how he was an answer to prayer.

Tonight at 8:00pm we showed up with 2 bottles of wine and dessert and met a room full of gracious people - a few familiar faces from the prayer tower and some new faces. Then our host, Daniel, handed me his business card and explained that one of the things he does is host Shabbat experiences for groups.  (ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!) Yet again, God had answered my prayer.  Not only did he open the invitation for THIS Shabbat, but the invitation to bring others to share Shabbat on future trips.  I told Daniel and he blessed each of us with a book he has written, Practicing the Sabbath with Community: A Christian Guidebook for Restoring a Day of Rest from a Jewish Perspective.  It was a double portion of blessing.  God makes me smile.  It was beautiful - Jewish believers in Yeshua, one Orthodox Jew, and the four of us Gentiles.  There were 14 in all.  It was a tight fit around the table and a little hot, but it was like a family dinner.  Our host, Daniel, explained how the Sabbath is set apart.  We worshipped in Hebrew and English.  He blessed the bread and wine. We talked about the parshah (portion of scripture) for the week and enjoyed the meal, the discussion, the family environment.  We sat near a man who runs a ministry that teaches others how to pray for healing (physical and inner) - God appointment for sure.

The atmosphere is peaceful here, not heightened and tense as you might think.  We are tasting the fruit of all of the prayers for the peace of Jerusalem lifted up across the face of the earth - we feel the peace. I want to pass on a personal encouragement from an Israeli Jewish man I talked with tonight who thanked us for coming in this time.  He told me that many will walk away when there is a cost.  But he is so appreciative that we came.  He said we are like fresh water being poured out on the people and the land in this time.  I pray this encourages your hearts, as well.

It is late and all of us are having difficulty resetting our internal clocks.  So, prayers for that and really sweet restorative sleep are appreciated. And please continue to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, bless the covenant land and covenant people, Israel.

Love to our families!  We miss you but feel you holding us up in prayer.
Shabbat Shalom, y'all!
Sharon