Does anyone else second guess themselves about what they hear from God? In my case, the larger the ramification of a decision, the more I tend to doubt myself. That is when I press God for a sign or validation of what I believe I heard from Him. This is the story of what happened when I asked Him about going back to Israel this year.
Having been in Jerusalem this past September, I so enjoyed experiencing the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot). I desired to participate in Pesach (Passover) in April and Shavuot (Pentecost) in June. My 60th birthday would fall conveniently between the two events, in May. I prayed about it and my calendar opened up to allow the trip. Checking flights, I found a great deal with Turkish Airlines- short layovers in New York and Istanbul- at a very agreeable price. As I got ready to book it, I had a check in my spirit. Had I really gotten the nod of approval from God? He told me last year to go and write about Israel, and I had been faithfully doing that since my return in mid-October. I decided to boldly press Him for a sign; that I would be convinced, without a doubt, it was His will for me to book that flight. I prayed this on a Sunday evening, asking for an answer within 24 hours. Those flights weren’t going to last long at that price.
The next morning, as I prepared for an 11:00 a.m. appointment, my attention was drawn to the items I had brought back from my month in Israel.
I felt compelled to look through the beach glass I had gathered on the various coasts. For some reason, my mind was fixed on making a necklace from a turquoise colored stone I had found on a beach at the Red Sea.
Presumably, I would mount the stone on a piece of glass, thus making a pendant. These thoughts were confusing me, because (1) I had an appointment, (2) if I didn’t get in the shower, I was going to be late, and (3) I have utterly no creative ability. My three-year old grandson would probably do a better job.
Yet I continued to sift through the beach glass that was left over when I made my displays of sand, shells, and stones. I remember looking at the clock, asking myself why I was doing this now. I was already late, but I felt compelled to continue. It was a very strange feeling. When I found the triangular piece of clear glass that seemed to be the right size and shape for my “jewelry”, I noticed it had a concave surface. My first thought was that the stone would nest there, making it less likely to get knocked off. I ran my finger along the inside surface and felt something stamped there. Curious, I held it up to the light. What I saw written on that piece of glass blew my mind. The letters I-S-R-A-E-L and the numbers 4-1-7 were the sole characters on that piece of broken glass. I ran into my office to check my calendar, and confirmed that I had written arrive Tel Aviv on April 17th. 4/17! That was validation enough for me, and I booked the flights. I love it when He does that…
BELOW: These are the items I found in my travels through Israel. Stones, shells, and beach glass from the four seas: the Red, the Dead, the Med, and the Sea of Galilee or Kinneret. I also have a nice chunk of coral from Eilat, camel hair from the Judean Wilderness, pomegranates and black olives from Capernaum and salt crystals from the Dead Sea. The rope came from some nets caught on ocean boulders on the Mediterranean Sea between Tel Aviv and Jaffa Port, where I also picked the chick peas. The sand is from Jerusalem Beach in Tel Aviv.
These are beautiful narratives on the manifestation of the glory of Elohim!!! Beautiful treasures which have become our through the lens of your eyes!!!!
I absolutely love this account of your experience, it’s a great read, and hearing it directly from you was powerful, you should consider recording some portions of your stories.
Thanks for sharing.
Randy B.
“the Red, the Dead, the Med, and the Sea of Galilee..” lol…