July 12–The Wall

Happy Friday. This was a quick week, but at my age, they all seem to go pretty fast! Last night I was thinking about praying and asking myself questions like a 12 year old. Why do we bow our heads and close our eyes? Why do we fold our hands? Where is that in the Bible? Is there a reason that we are most often quiet and alone? I decided that some of it for me is a concentration-thing. I need to close out the world and get in that “special place” with just me and God. I have enough ADD that it takes a quiet, alone place to shut out distractions. 

When we were at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, the Jews prayed loudly—loud and public, hands raised and/or extended, as they read their prayers and rocked back and forth. I don’t know if there is a right way or a wrong way, but isn’t it noteworthy that we are so steeped in tradition? They in theirs, us in ours? Sometimes watching them in their prayer time, it was pretty obvious that they take the reverence and the holy respect a couple of steps farther than we do. For example, they will not turn their back on the Western wall, in this their Holy City. The men and the women have separate sections. They wash their hands before they begin their prayers. Many men have a tiny box strapped to their heads and another on their left arm that contains the scripture. It’s a culture steeped in 1,000s of years of tradition, even when it comes to simply praying. 

I loved being there, putting my prayers in the cracks, laying my hands on that ancient wall and praying in the middle of all of that. It was meaningful and somehow very emotional. In the middle of the noise and the chaos, I was able to feel the presence of God and to understand this place is special to our Father. This place where He had Abraham take Isaac, where He told David to buy for His temple, where Solomon built according to the specifications of God—where He dwelt in the holy of holies. This was “that” place. 

“This is what the Lord says: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house you will build for me? Where will my resting place be?...Hear that uproar from the city, hear that noise from the temple! It is the sound of the Lord repaying his enemies all they deserve...When you see this, your heart will rejoice and you will flourish like grass; the hand of the Lord will be made known to his servants, but his fury will be shown to his foes.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭66:1, 6, 14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

And then, I thought about the symbolism of that wall—walls separate. That’s how it is for anyone who does not accept Jesus—they run into a wall. Without Jesus Messiah, who is the only way to God, we are on the other side of a wall because the only way to the Father is through the Son. 

“No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.”

‭‭1 John‬ ‭2:23‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭4:16‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Lord thank you for the Western Walls in our lives—places that bring us face to face with you and serve as a visual reminder that without the Son, the Father has no part of us. We praise you today and lift our hearts to you so that you may inhabit our worship. We love you Lord and we ask for your instruction in our lives to teach us and mould us to be more like you. Show us your ways. We pray for loved ones who are approaching the end of this journey. Guide them Jehovah, and cradle them as they make the crossing to be with you. We ask for comfort for families and your Holy Spirit to fill them and give them peace. You are a great God and you bless us and care for us in so very many ways. What a wonder you are! Amen and amen. 

Love you dear one, 

Pam