Not in the Wind

I took a pilgrimage to the Holy Land a few months ago with my brother. I prepared for the trip by reading that excellent tourist guide book, "The New Testament." One of the places I was most excited to see was the Sea of Galilee. There are so many stories of Christ's ministry in Galilee that have touched me so deeply they have become a part of who I am.

We spent our first day at Capernaum and Tiberius. We took a boat out onto the Sea of Galilee at sunset. It was all very beautiful and culturally fascinating. But... I didn't feel a dang thing. I wanted to. I wanted to feel something special and close to my Savior on that trip. That night, I went up on the roof of our hostel and read about Christ feeding the 5,000 and prayed. I felt something then - similar to the spirit I'd felt hundreds of times before reading the scriptures. And I asked God why... Why had I felt to come to Israel? Why couldn't I feel Christ on the water where He once walked?

The answer I got was more or less something like this: "I'm not dead. I walked here 2,000 years ago, but I still live and walk today. I've walked with you - that's why you love these scriptures. You feel close to me when you walk with me as I am now. You feel close to me when you walk as I walk. that's far more important than where I walked 2,000 years ago. So if you want to feel close to me here, seek my spirit and walk as I walked - the same as you've done before."

The next day we went to Jericho. In Jericho, we hiked up to a monestary built into the side of a cliff (fun fact: If you want to understand the symbolism of "living water", walking around Israel in the heat of the day is a great activity). We met a random tour group near the top (they took a cable car up instead), and started up the last bit of the hike with them, which involved several steps built along the side of the cliff. This tour group was made up predominantly of senior citizens and my brother and I offered our arms to some ladies with poor balance. In that moment, my prayer from before came to mind and I felt close to Christ. I was, quite literally, walking as he would walk.

Thinking of this experience today, a story came to mind from Elijah:

   "And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake:
   "And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice."  - 1 Kings 19:11-12

I know that my Savior lives and walks today as surely as He did back then. He is a part of me as fully as He was a part of them. I didn't find Him on the Sea of Galilee or atop the Mount of Olives. I found Him, as I always have, in a still small voice.