Do you really want to carry God's heart for His chosen people? Do you really want intimacy with Him at the same time?
If yes, then I say: come to the Land. But be warned: you will truly never be the same. Your heart will, as the saying goes, become broken with the things that break His heart.
One aspect of life in Israel that few people think about is...suffering. Poverty is of such a level that, according to the Israel News Agency, 28% of Israeli's--and 1 in 3 children--live in poverty. Prostitution in Israel is legal, and until recent years the human trafficking business in Israel has been booming. 1 in 4 pregnancies in Israel ends in abortion. All this is in addition to the mega-suffering on a societal level from terrorism--hardly any families in Israel haven't lost a family member to a suicide bomber.
And yet...God's signature is all over this land. Wherever you go, you're not far from a Biblical landmark of some sorts. The major national holiday come straight from the Torah. Even the language has heavenly origins. Truly the words of Psalm 147:20 come alive: "He has done this for no other nation."
So...why the dichotomy? Why all the suffering in the land of promise? If this is a nation of priests (Exodus 19:6)...if Israel is truly His beloved son (Jeremiah 31:9)...then...WHY?
As you travel the Land sensitive to the heart of God, you may not be able to help but ask these questions. Your heart may recoil at times as you ponder God's grief over His suffering--and wayward--Israeli children. You may even hear His lament: "If My people would but listen to Me...if Israel would follow My ways...how quickly would I subdue their enemies and turn My hand against their foes" (Psalm 81:14).
As you ponder this dichotomy, you may then come to realize something very astonishing: this land, and this people, also represent YOU! For you, if you have given your heart to Messiah Yeshua, have become a spiritual son of Abraham. Therefore you are part of that nation of priests. You, too, are dearly beloved of Him. Yet you, too, have to some degree been wayward...you, too, have broken His heart.
Beware of coming to the Land. Be ready to be gloriously transformed.
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