God is Our Refuge!
By: Randall E. Pickens, Sr.
Ein Gedi, an oasis in Israel also referred to as “David’s Wadi”. It is a most inspirational place for me because it has endured throughout the ages as a place of refuge! I could feel the presence of God here for sure. Certainly one of a thousand special places in Israel to me, how could I ever rate one over another; there are so many!
David took refuge here from King Saul (1 Samuel 23:29) who sought to kill him. The pictures I took reflect how if you didn’t know this place was here you could die of thirst in the wilderness of Judea yet a trickle of water emerges from this wilderness and as you progress up into the height of the plateau from the depth of Dead Sea the refreshing flow of water increases until it is a impressive waterfall. Pure refreshing water gushing out of the cliffs yet to disappear at the base of the wadi. Where does it go? The wayward traveler could perish for thirst in this wilderness not knowing the life saving waters were so near!
This is the place David references as his “hiding place” Psalms 32:7 an appropriate reference recognizing how God saved him and sustained him in his time of trouble. I really felt Gods presence here… I so love God and His blessed Israel! Alice and I were blessed to travel to Israel twice and experience the anointed and holy grounds of Israel. The Bible truly comes alive. I will never forget the sites and sounds. The unique fragrances and taste. You can truly sense the anointing of God like no other place on earth. I will never be the same for these experiences. I know that many will never get the chance to witness this first hand; I will try to share my experiences with those who can’t travel to Israel.
As I progressed up to the height of this plateau, I was particularly intrigued with the fact that what might appear to be a mountain is really not but rather rising from the lowest elevation on planet earth, the Dead Sea basin (1412 feet below sea level)! The key word hear being dead. The water of the Dead Sea is so salty literally nothing lives in it. It is said you could not drowned in this water; because of the density you float. It is said that birds won’t even fly over it since there is no life therein…. This could in fact be a perfect metaphor for “the depth of despair or hopelessness“. That’s why I wanted to share these pictures and my insight as to the message God would have us to hear. Even as He protected David and provided this refuge for him so He will and does for us as well. No matter how far we may have sunk nor how desperate the threat of our enemies may appear, God is our REFUGE!
Psalms 40:2 He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay;
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
Alice and I both wept when we left Israel. I would have stayed if I could. I feel such an affinity with Israel and the Jewish people. We didn’t travel there as vacationers but more of a pilgrimage! I made it a point not to use travel guides. I felt led of the Spirit to just follow the footsteps of Jesus and the events of the Bible. I wanted to sense the Bible events not just consider them historic.
We rented a car and just followed His lead. We stayed at Kibbutz on our first trip so we could get the feel of a communal village experience in the north Galilee. On our second trip we rented an apartment in Jerusalem. We tried to avoid the tourist traps. We wanted to feel Israel as best we could. I am so thankful I was able to accomplish this goal. It was truly a life changing experience.
So, stay tuned for more special locations and thoughts that inspired us while there. The Bible truly comes alive as you experience the sites and sounds and the beauty of Israel. Selah!
Oh, I almost forgot to tell you the prophetic connection; Ezekiel 47:8-9 tells us the Dead Sea will come to life!
Views: 12