ORLANDO CHINESE CHURCH

MONTHLY NEWSLETTER

November, 2005

At the Wailing Wall

We learned early in the summer that Brother Christian Chen would lead a study tour to Israel through the arrangement of Brother Michael of UK. The focus of the study was on the Psalms of Ascent and the journey of the wilderness. Since I recognized my low spirit in recent days, my desire was to join the wilderness trip. I felt keenly that to experience the journey of the Israelites after they left Egypt would help me in a spiritual revival, specially with the teaching of Brother Chen. However, we did not have enough vacation time, and the schedule was in conflict with a previous obligation. We finally decided on just the Israel portion of the trip on the Psalms. After meeting up with the other participants on Aug. 12, we learned that this leg of the study tour was only firmed up two days before the journey.

After reservation, I reminded myself that this was a study tour, different from the usual vacation time, and I needed to prepare my heart. In my prayer, I asked God to reveal to me in the coming seven days and to confirm my heart before Him.

During the trip, my husband really prepared himself for sharing with the brothers and sisters after coming back, so he took a lot of pictures and study notes. Because I am not familiar with the English Bible, nor have a good command of the language, I found it difficult to follow Brother Michael's briefing. So slowly I began to lose focus and, as a common tourist, used more of my sight than my brain. As a result, walking on the land where the Lord Jesus walked before did not excite me as I expected. This situation lasted until the evening of the 18th, the day for visiting the foundation of Solomon's Temple.

As we arrived at the Temple ground, many people dressed in orange T-shirt gathered in singing and dancing. Brother Michael explained that those were the protesters against the Israel government's pull-out of Gaza. Since the inception of the nation, Israel was threatened by the Palestinian terrorists. In order to achieve peace, the government reached an accord with the Palestinians. The Israelis would withdraw from the Gaza strip and the Palestinians would form their own nation; both sides to live peaceful with each other. The protest was by those who built their homes in Gaza, Hebron and Jericho, refusing to give up the land to the Palestinians. After we visited the Temple foundation and came out of the tunnel, we reached the famous wailing wall. There were barricades separating men and women. On our side I saw many weeping women in prayer, some even carrying infants with them. Considering their sad situation, I felt a great sympathy for them. Away from the Temple ground, we could see even more protesters. They are the descendants of Abraham, with whom God had established a covenant for the elect. For thousands of years they wandered around the world, and finally came back to this land in 1948. But the enemies around them did not allow them a single day of peace of mind. O the daughters of Zion, how long will you remain stiff-necked until you turn back to God, so the tears at the wall would one day dry up?

Under the cover of the Jerusalem night-scene, I recalled how the Lord Jesus wept for the city:＂ＯJerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you are unwilling. Behold, your house is being left to you desolate!" (Mt. 23:37-38) The rebellious Jews sent the Lord to the cross and refused His blood. Even today they still do not accept Christ the Savior. No wonder Jerusalem became desolate then under the Roman's iron-clad, and today they will sadly lose their homes again...... Beholding the broken-hearted protesters, I wonder when will they turn to the Lord. If Jesus walked on the Temple ground today, would He weep for them again?

It was midnight when we left the Temple ground, which was by now filled with crowds of protesters, while truck loads of more coming this way. Along the road it was filled with military personnel and policemen. I could not help but sigh in my heart: You Jews think you are wise, yet how foolish you have been all those years! Suddenly, the wailing of the Jews and the weeping of the Lord drove the tears out of me that I could not control. Am I as stiff-necked and foolish as they are at times, yet without self-awareness? If we fail to abide in the Lord, but depend on our own understanding and insist on our own way, wouldn't we be just like them? (Phyllis)