We left En Gedi for the Dead Sea and stopped for lunch and a quick dip at Ein Bokek. This land is utterly alien. At 1300 feet below sea level we rode along pale blue shores with thick rims of white salt. A sheer haze of water vapor gently shrouded the mountains of Jordan. There lies a warm supersaturated solution that feels almost like oil, a seabed spackled with chunks of salt crystals that can cut skin. The thermometer reads 44 degrees Celsius in the bright sun. Here, the richest supply of minerals in the world lies in a wasteland. As we left I asked God- why is the Negev barren? And how do the Bedouin people who've made this place home fit into God's plan for the world and for Israel?
On the road to the Bedouin village of Kfar Hnokdim, we passed through Arad, a city the Israelis rebuilt in 1962, near the ruins of Tel Arad (the Canaanite city Moses conquered). In that moment I was amazed by God's enduring love to have made a way for the Jewish people to rebuild the desolate places in Israel. As we approached Kfar Hnokdim from a distance, I was delighted to look upon an oasis in the desert! It's a tiny piece of land fed by underground springs, not the dry place I expected. The Bedoins lead us to a traditional tent, divided into one side for the men and another side for the women, where we layed down our packs and relaxed on mats while the Bedouins prepared for us. Before they served us dinner, they brought us to ride their herd of camels, a taste of Bedouin life. After we rode, we joined the leader Muhhamed in his tent to share life with him and listen to his detailed description of traditional life, values, and customns. Then, he sang to us while he played a lyre. He invited me to play percussion for his song with a Bedouin coffee grinder.
Later that night there was no sound in the camp except the rustling of the palm trees and the chirping of crickets. Our tour leader invited us to walk beyond the camp to spend time alone in prayer. Outside the oasis was complete stillness, no sound except the gentle desert wind in your ear. I know why so many from the Bible escaped to places like this to pray. There's NOTHING here to distract. While I interceded for the Negev, God lead me to read out part of Isaiah's prophesy to the land. Isaiah 54, and Isaiah 47-49. The Holy Spirit led me to declare his Word in Isaiah 41:18 to the land: I will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs. I began to feel God's heart for the land, his desire to bless Israel. I layed my hands on the ground and called the springs to rise up from the deep according to his word.
We slept in an enormous tent, open to the warm night air of the desert. God woke me up just before sunrise. He also woke up the friend I mentioned earlier who is in Israel on a mission trip. We walked outside of the camp to see the sunrise. We were so in awe of God we worshipped him together and prayed for his hand over our lives in the light of the early dawn.
On the road to the Bedouin village of Kfar Hnokdim, we passed through Arad, a city the Israelis rebuilt in 1962, near the ruins of Tel Arad (the Canaanite city Moses conquered). In that moment I was amazed by God's enduring love to have made a way for the Jewish people to rebuild the desolate places in Israel. As we approached Kfar Hnokdim from a distance, I was delighted to look upon an oasis in the desert! It's a tiny piece of land fed by underground springs, not the dry place I expected. The Bedoins lead us to a traditional tent, divided into one side for the men and another side for the women, where we layed down our packs and relaxed on mats while the Bedouins prepared for us. Before they served us dinner, they brought us to ride their herd of camels, a taste of Bedouin life. After we rode, we joined the leader Muhhamed in his tent to share life with him and listen to his detailed description of traditional life, values, and customns. Then, he sang to us while he played a lyre. He invited me to play percussion for his song with a Bedouin coffee grinder.
Later that night there was no sound in the camp except the rustling of the palm trees and the chirping of crickets. Our tour leader invited us to walk beyond the camp to spend time alone in prayer. Outside the oasis was complete stillness, no sound except the gentle desert wind in your ear. I know why so many from the Bible escaped to places like this to pray. There's NOTHING here to distract. While I interceded for the Negev, God lead me to read out part of Isaiah's prophesy to the land. Isaiah 54, and Isaiah 47-49. The Holy Spirit led me to declare his Word in Isaiah 41:18 to the land: I will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs. I began to feel God's heart for the land, his desire to bless Israel. I layed my hands on the ground and called the springs to rise up from the deep according to his word.
We slept in an enormous tent, open to the warm night air of the desert. God woke me up just before sunrise. He also woke up the friend I mentioned earlier who is in Israel on a mission trip. We walked outside of the camp to see the sunrise. We were so in awe of God we worshipped him together and prayed for his hand over our lives in the light of the early dawn.
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