My righteous King still rules today
Yehovah holds eternal sway
The things “impossible” come true
What miracles I saw Him do!
Yes, He who shakes the earth and sea
Our refuge and our strength shall be
Come see the works His hands have wrought!
To save His precious ones He fought
Though mountains tumble to the sea
Forever with us He shall be
Among the nations He is great
And He shall make my pathways straight
Through Him upon the waves I trod
Be still and know that He is God
Inspired by Psalm 46
Ye fearing Yehovah, draw near; I shall say
The deeds He hath done for my soul
Afflictions and flames had surrounded my way
Strong waters above me didst roll
He proved me, and I was as silver refined
Removed He my dross and my doubt
And though ‘midst the water and flame I was tried
In mercy my King brought me out
I clung unto hope and believed in His Word
His praises were found on my tongue
He answered my prayers; my pleadings He heard
Behold all the deeds He hath done!
“Stand still, and behold the salvation of God”
I heard, and no more was I scared
A path through the ocean whereon we should trod
Hath He for His people prepared
Thus now, in abundance, I joyfully sing
And I shall complete every vow
With joy I shall go to the House of my King
To humbly and gratefully bow
The nations shalt praise Thee, Thy foes shalt obey
The earth shalt sing praises to Thee
Oh, blessed be Yehovah, Who turned not away
My plea, nor His mercy from me!
Based on Psalm 66
You have brought me to the places
I had thought I’d never see
You have done astounding wonders
Those I thought might never be
You have answered earnest prayers
Those I thought You might not hear
You have let me see such beauty
Views so stunning, sights so dear
You have given my desires
Formed my dreams, then made them true
You gave back what I surrendered
That which I gave up to You
You have given hope so constant
Peace the world can’t take away
You are far beyond all praising
You are why I’m here today
You did miracles so awesome
Why? Because You cherish me
Could these wonders truly happen?
Yes, and greater things shall be!
**********
“Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and inaccessible things, which you do not know.”
-Jeremiah 33:3
Yeshua answered and said to him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.”
-John 1:50
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Messiah Yeshua to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
-Ephesians 3:20+21
This is a collaborative poem by my sister Amy and me. She started writing it in 2020, but just recently resurfaced the poem and we worked on completing it together. Thanks, Amy!
**********
Of Korah’s sons a contemplation
A love song, for the chief musician
My heart a goodly word doth bring
And overfloweth to the King
Oh, blest Thou art, and fair of face
Anointed art Thy lips with grace
Ride on in strength to things untold
To awesome things prepared of old
Affix Thy sword upon Thy thigh
And let Thy sharpened arrows fly
The nations fall beneath Thy hand
Forevermore Thy throne wilt stand
Thou lovest justice, hatest wrong
So Thou art the Anointed One
The oil of joy is poured upon
The head of Him made glad with song
Among the dear ones of the King
Art princesses, besides the queen
Consider, daughter, see and hear
Forget thy father’s house so dear
And come unto the King, for He
Hath longed thy loveliness to see
Draw near, thou bride of great renown
Before thy Groom and Lord bow down
The princess is esteemed within
Her dress is bright, gold woven in
The virgins, her companions, sing
And follow her unto the King
She entereth the palace gate
With songs and jubilation great
Yea, in Thy fathers’ stead shall be
Thy sons, as princes under Thee
Thy Name shalt be preserved, therefore
The peoples praise Thee evermore
Eternally my God won’t change
He’s never changed; I know it’s true
His covenants don’t pass away
The things He promised, He will do
He’s not a man, that He should lie
Nor son of man, to change His mind
His righteousness forever stands
He’s always just and always kind
My eyes have seen His faithfulness
Have seen His steadfast love displayed
His promises to Israel
Have never failed, won’t ever fade
In Him all things are possible
He’s always strong; I trust His Word
When Yahweh speaks, in faith I cling
With confidence to all I heard
Though promises might seem far-fetched
Your faithfulness my hope shall be
For what could be more certain than
The words that You have promised me?
**********
“God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?”
-Numbers 23:19
“For I am the Lord, I do not change; therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.”
-Malachi 3:6
Like rivers flow, with sounds so joyful
Giving life where’er they go
Like cleansing streams, forever faithful
Never stopping in their flow
So constant is His grace and peace
So faithful His deliverance
His living waters never cease
Wherein we find our sustenance
Like rivers flowing toward the ocean
Down the mountains to the sea
Like ocean boundaries He has chosen
Stand secure eternally
So shall the remnant of His nation
Come to claim their lot, their land
Each man unto his own possession
Boundaries fashioned by His hand
Like rivers overwhelm a wadi
Rushing through a wilderness
A gift of life for everybody
Bringing growth and fruitfulness
Thus every tribe will flow to Zion
Run to Yahweh, learn His ways
There He shall reign, as Judah’s Lion
As the nations give Him praise
Then wastelands will become like Eden
When the Spirit’s pow’r is poured
Then Zion’s sins shall be forgiven
Judah’s cities be restored
**********
Relevant Scriptures:
Psalm 104:8+9, 126:4
Isaiah 2:2, 32:15, 66:12
Ezekiel 36:35-38
I see the King of Kings exalted high upon His throne
The hosts of angels worship Him; around Him they have flown
Amidst this glorious splendour–Oh, how minuscule I am!
The angels shout with power, “Holy, worthy is the Lamb!”
Their voices thunder; Woe is me! Undone am I–unclean!
For Yehovah, the Lord of angel hosts mine eyes have seen.
Oh, what a light of radiance exuding from His face!
How excellent art all His ways; how perfect is His grace
Thus saith He, “Whom shall I send, and who for Us wilt go?”
I know He speaketh to my heart; to me He biddeth so
Still knowing not His mission, yet enraptured by His call
I raise to Him my trembling hands, before His throne I fall
My fears He casteth out by love, despite whate’er shall be
Thus without doubt, I boldly shout, “Lord, here am I, send me!”
Based on Isaiah 6
My heart is soft like fragile clay
To bend and move within Your hands
Emotions grow, then fade away
As life is changed by Your commands
For You alone, O Potter, can
Make usefulness from my weak clay
From dust and ashes You made man
You made me who I am today
And as You wisely fashion me
And I am changed by what You say
Unchanging truths You show to me
You leave impressions that will stay
And these impressions strengthen me
My clay is hardened–starts to stand
As You continue molding me
How glad am I within Your hand!
So blessed am I to be transformed
Into Your vessel, pure and clean
That all the wonders You preformed
Within me might be clearly seen
**********
“But now, Yehovah, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You our potter; and we all are the work of Your hand.”
-Isaiah 64:8
“Please let me fall into the hand of Yehovah, for His mercies are very great…”
-1 Chronicles 21:13
Inquire of the years of old
Since Yah first started to create
Search long–as far as heaven’s breadth
Has e’er there been a Word so great?
Has any other nation heard
The voice of Yah amidst the flame
Or seen the thund’ring, burning mount
As Yah the King of Glory came?
What nation saw such things, and lived
As Yah proclaimed His great commands?
What law compares to this Torah?
What other law forever stands?
Has any other god come down
To set a captive nation free?
They saw His wonders, signs, and plagues
His outstretched hand that split the sea
What other nation has survived
Millennia of war and hate?
What nation has a god who fights
With miracles and zeal so great?
What nation has their god so close
As Yahweh is, whene’er we pray?
And who has heard the like of this?
Are nations born in just one day?
Who is like you, Israel
Both loved and saved by Yah, your shield?
Oh, Yahweh, there is none like You!
To You shall every nation yield
**********
Deuteronomy 4:7+8, 32-24
Deuteronomy 33:29
Isaiah 66:8
This past March, I was blessed with the opportunity to visit Israel for the first time. Yehovah made my greatest, far-out dreams come to life as I was in His land.
Today I have a special guest, Maggie, who was my roommate/sister for three weeks while we experienced the land together. She kindly agreed to join me today and talk about our trip. Together we will answer seven questions about the trip. Thank you so much, Maggie, for joining!
Question 1: What was your favorite place?
Maggie: Caesarea. It was cool to see the Roman architecture–the tiles, buildings, and arches–still intact where they were laid two thousand years ago.
Faith: My favorite place was Jerusalem.
Maggie: (gasps, pretending to be surprised) Oh, really?
Faith: (laughs) And other than Jerusalem, my second favorite place was Gilgal.
Maggie: Oh, that was really cool. I think that it was my second favorite too.
Faith: Yes! With the stone fence there that the Israelites built and the place where the Tabernacle would have been!
Maggie: Well, I’m not really sure if that’s the real place where the Israelites were, but it was cool to be in the “West Bank” and see another side of civilization where it was more deserted and wasn’t touristy at all.
Question 2: What surprised you the most?
Maggie: Probably how “under-whelming” some of the places were, like when we were in Jerusalem. You expect things to be more awing, based on what others who have visited said. But really, sometimes when you visit places like the Garden Tomb, or the Western Wall, you realize they are only locations. Significant locations, but still just ‘places’. What is really awing is God Himself, and the fact that we are His children and nothing can ever change that.
Faith: Amen! I thought the same thing when we were at the Garden Tomb. Seeing the empty grave doesn’t compare to knowing the risen Messiah personally. The thing that surprised me the most would probably be either the “under-whelming” thing that you were talking about or the fact that the Israeli shopkeepers would literally step out of their shops to talk to you. You were there with me, Maggie. (laughing) “Come in! Half-price!”
Question 3: What is a time when the Bible came alive?
Maggie: There are so many times when the Bible came alive. There was one time when we were driving and we saw an old grave on the side of the road that looked sort of like what Yeshua’s grave would have looked like.
Faith: Yes, the old family grave! That was so cool! For me it would probably be either at Gilgal or at the Shahak factory. At Gilgal, you literally can touch the ancient fence and see where the Israelites would have camped and where the Tabernacle would have been. At Shahak, you are at the very edge of the “West Bank” (Samaria). The people in this region are brave settlers, and you feel so close to prophecy there in Samaria.
Question 4: What is an inspiring or special memory from this trip?
Maggie: I think it was inspiring how close-knit the people are–how they work together towards one goal, and it’s just really united and cohesive.
Faith: Are you talking about the Beth El community (where we stayed the whole time) or about the Jewish people in general?
Maggie: Both. I also thought it was inspiring how (at least the Israeli Jews) all have to serve in the military once they become adults, and the sacrifices that they individually make for the entire country. Many of the Beth El youth also serve/served, but if I remember right, they aren’t required to like the Israeli Jews.
Faith: My inspiring or special memories include speaking Hebrew with native Israelis, walking through the Old City of Jerusalem, standing on Mount Carmel, seeing so much history, and, most of all, hearing the voice of Yehovah. It was also really special to celebrate the Biblical new year in Israel!
Maggie: Ha. I remember you and the Williams dragged me outside with y’all at nine o’clock to look for the new moon!
Question 5: What was it like being a part of a group?
Maggie: It was really great to get to know everyone, their stories, and where they came from.
Faith: It was a big learning experience for me, because it’s the first time I’d traveled without my family. Also, I’ve never worked in the public, so it was a big experience working with people. There were some personality challenges, but our group had a strong bond of unity. And you know how they all babied me.
Maggie: (laughing) Oh, yes, you were their golden child.
Faith: Yes, I was babied. I love them all. They are very special people.
Question 6: What are some differences between Israel and America?
Maggie: In Israel the weekend is Friday and Saturday, instead of Sunday.
Faith: And in Israel there are bomb shelters or bunkers with air filtration systems nearly anywhere you go. In Israel, the roads are bumpier and the drivers are scarier.
Maggie: Yep. I remember we got rear-ended once while in the little bus, and our driver got out to make sure the other driver was okay, talked for just a minute, then climbed back in and we just kept going. Small collisions like that are just the norm there, apparently.
Question 7: What would you want to tell a first-time traveler?
Maggie: Get off the beaten path. Go to the less touristy areas. Visit the little boutique shops on the side-roads, talk to the owners, and notice little things like kids playing on the sidewalk while their mothers sip espresso and chat in Hebrew. Also, in the rougher market areas, expect people to scam you— you are a tourist, and they know it, and they will try to get as much money from you as they can. It’s just how it’s done there. Bargain whenever you can, but don’t get frustrated if you still get scammed. It’s part of the experience, to be honest.
Faith: Be expecting things to be dirtier than America. Be expecting different weather, different culture, and a desert climate. Most of all, be expecting amazing things from Yehovah. His eyes are always watching that land. He loves to change lives and meet people there in His land.
Now, dear readers, I want to invite you to comment below with any questions for Maggie and me! “Next year in Jerusalem.”
–Faith