We Saw Your Face

We Saw Your Face
‪
We went to Caesarēa Philippi, we were on the Sea of Galilee, we went to the Valley of the Doves, we saw where He gave the Beatitudes, where He multiplied the loaves and fish, we sat on the “Teaching Steps,” we stood where Jesus was born, we stood where He died, we stood where He was buried.‬

‪We stood where He ascended into Heaven from the Mount of Olives! We saw where He lived the first 30 years of His life in Nazareth with His family, saw where He lived the final 3 Capernaum, we stood where He stood before Pontius Pilate, we walked where He carried the cross, we saw where He was flogged, beaten and mocked‬.

‪We stood in the Garden of gethsemane where He prayed, we stood in the fields of the shepherds— where they found out the Messiah was to be born, sat in the ruins at Capernaum and Magdala where He once sat as he studied and taught . . . I can’t tell you how many times I was in complete AWE, with my jaw to the ground, with the only word ‬I could say was W😱W!! Yeshua/Jesus was REAL and IS real!! He did live, I saw where He lived, but my overwhelming takeaway from My Pilgrimage is— HE STILL LIVES!!! ‬

In my head, and heart, I knew He was alive, but at every turn . . . I saw His fingerprint on our trip—

‪3 doves on the top of the building at Osar Al-Yahud (Father, Son and Holy Spirit), a beautiful, vibrant rainbow over the Dead Sea, reminding us of His Promise that He will NEVER leave us, forsake us or give up on us. His gentle Presence in the courtyard at Capernaum where many ‬were  moved to tears after Dan challenged us to remember our heroes in the faith, who taught us about Jesus and who read the Bible to us as children. Jill’s shrill of excitement, and echo of tears, as she ran her fingers over the Braille of the Lord’s Prayer with her supportive husband Jimmy at her side. The excitement of coming through the tunnel and seeing the Old City Jerusalem for the very first time— it was strange, almost eerie, as my Spirit felt it had been here before . . . It was the feeling of HOME— a small taste of how Heaven will feel one day! ‬Spiritual déjà vu at its finest. 

‪His protection was around us as a Palestinian Muslim charged a police officer, trying to stab him, and was shot dead some 300-400 feet away from us. His quietness, and perfect Peace, on us as we broke bread and drank wine at the Garden Tomb as we broke into song, “And He walks with me and He talks with me and He tells me I am His own and the JOY we share as we tary there no other has ever known.”‬

‪His Shekinah Glory there, in the Church of Anne, as we sang I Love You Lord, Jesus Loves Me and Amazing Grace. His Love shining through Leigh’s morning prayers on the bus— so heart-felt, genuine and an earnest plea for Him to be with us and to give us fresh revelations ‬that day.

‪His healing Power— Jehovah Rapha— at the Pool of Bethesda in our healing service. The freedom felt by Johnny as he threw his deep grief, of losing his 18-year-old daughter, into the depths of the Sea of Galilee with a simple, faith-fueled flick of the wrist!

‪We felt Your Presence as Cindy prayed over us at the Jordan, as we took the Jordan River water on our foreheads. We felt Your Voice come alive as Mark read Your Holy Word, throughput our Pilgrimage, especially as we stood above Your holy city Jérusalem, picturing what it must’ve been like as Jesus ‬entered the city’s gates riding a donkey as they proclaimed Hosanna in the Highest, blessed is He who comes in the Name of Lord and laid down their palms on the road. We experienced a small taste of Your dry humor, humility and kindness through Jeff.

We saw what it was like to be a servant— carrying Debbie’s scooter, opening doors for each other, deferring to a couple to get off the bus. We put each other above our ourselves. Back to Debbie— she demonstrated the heart of a warrior and exemplified Your victorious spirit! And when you think about it, just like with transporting the scooter different places and allow her to see what she would’ve missed . . . isn’t that what the Christian walk is— us helping people see what they would never see if not for us?

We saw a small taste of Your availability throughout Tamar as she endlessly poured into us ‬and would answer whatever questions, we had, with great patience and understanding. Or Your mercy as we rudely talked while she was talking.

We knew we were held by Your Love each step of the journey, through guiding our drivers hands and feet, as we walked the streets where machine guns are as common as stop signs here and in our flights—In our coming and going.

It was the perfect intersection of history and theology on the road of Faith!

You were El Shaddai— MORE than enough . . . More than enough Presence, more than enough Provision, more than enough Protection and more than enough Peace! You were more than enough Strength for those who were sick and more than enough revelation ‬for those who yearned for the scales to be removed from eyes, so that they could see You— our King, our Champion and Savior— in a way they NEVER have!  ‬

‪Your loving, nurturing, protective fingerprints were ALL over our Pilgrimage, and while we felt them, and saw them, something else was just as clear in our mind’s eye and in the deepest depths our heart— Your Face! ‬

‪We saw You JESUS!! In the daily hustle and bustle, of careers, jobs, school, families and responsibilities, we were simply able to simply be STILL, even though we were anything but as our days started at 6 a.m. and didn’t end ‘til 6 p.m., and see Your beauty, feel Your Love and be filled with Your incomparable Peace!

As we leave the mountain top, like Phil so accurately spoke of, after experiencing You in ALL Your Glory, in a real, tangible, historical, yet visceral, way . . . Our prayer is may everyone we encounter know we were with You Jesus on the mountain! And the same way You asked the disciples, “Who do you say that I am . . . let us our words, our hearts, and more importantly, our actions answer, “You are the One and ONLY Son of the Living God! You are the Messiah!!” ‬

And if we can do that, we can lead many others to the same peak we just experienced— one where they‪ see Jesus and one where they, too, will NEVER be the same! ‬

+Hope Abounds+
John Mark