Stones in the Wilderness

In the golden beauty of the arid desert, God speaks.  

[May 8, 2024] The gentle wind whispered through the brush, and the subtle cool of the evening was beginning to settle as the sun set over the Jordanian hills. Camels dotted the landscape in the distance as the last orange glow of light cascaded over the sandy earth. Here, in the stillness of the desert I was suddenly overwhelmed by the astonishing power of God’s presence. This prayer walk was different. I was standing in the very dessert where David wrote his Psalms. 

In a land with a long history of unrest, currently in the midst of war — the desert is quiet, peaceful. As if not much has changed in the last 3000 + years since David penned his songs of praise. 

I had a new understanding of Psalm 63 where David describes: “A dry and parched land where there is no water”. 

Psalm 63:1
You, God, are my God,
    earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you,
    my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
    where there is no water.” 

If you have the time, I highly recommend listening to this version of Psalm 63 put to music. God used this Psalm to speak to me on that walk.

A Parched and Weary Land

On even the shortest of walks during my trip to Israel, my body easily grew weary under the heat of the direct sun. So much so that I got heat exhaustion just from being out for an hour after our early sunrise hike.

In the desert, even the slightest speckle of green on the landscape indicates one thing: WATER. A spring feeds the sparse vegetation around it, and even the tiniest lick of water produces a small oasis. This green had been visible when I stood in the desert the day prior and looked toward Ein Gedi (the spring where David presumably wrote this Psalm). 

To think that my longing for my God should be like that parched feeling of thirst. To long for Him so desperately above anything else. To seek out a splash of green in a desert land. 

If my body craves water after only a short hour, how much more should I crave God in every moment? It was as if for the first time I clearly understood the symbolism behind David’s metaphor in Psalm 63.

Memorial Stones

From my view overlooking the vast desert, a distinct outline stood out on the ground below.  It was a long line of stones, spanning across the hill. My friend had earlier told a story about this “stone man”:

A devout woman in their town used to walk in the desert almost daily to pray. Whenever a prayer was answered, she placed another stone on her “stone man”, as a way to signify God’s faithfulness. Over the years, the stone monument grew and the “arms” of the stone man now stretch nearly 400 meters long. 

I love the symbolism of the stone man. In the Old Testament, stones were often used as monuments to signify God’s faithfulness. After the Israelites crossed the Jordan (not too far from the desert where I stood), they erected stones as a symbol of God’s faithfulness to the 12 tribes of Israel.

See Joshua 4:21-24: And he said to the people of Israel, “When your children ask their fathers in times to come, ‘What do these stones mean?’ ²² then you shall let your children know, ‘Israel passed over this Jordan on dry ground.’ ²³ For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you passed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up for us until we passed over, ²⁴ so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever.”

That their children and all peoples would KNOW of God’s faithfulness toward Israel. This made me think: how am I commemorating God’s faithfulness in my own life? Do I give the credit to God when things go well with me? I love the idea of using stones to represent significant moments where I’ve seen God’s work in my life. This gave me the idea to create my own version of the stone man — a way to physically represent answered prayers. I plan to start doing this tangibly with stones on my own prayer walks! 

Reflecting on God’s Faithfulness One Year Later

Faithful. It’s a word that often comes to mind when reflecting back on Gods work in my life. 

One “stone” I’ve been reflecting on recently is God faithfulness during my year in New Zealand. 

This week, it’s been one year since I left New Zealand. God worked so intently in my desperate heart that year. He brought me closer to himself in a way I never would have imagined. In a personal, intimate way. 

In that year, He showed me that the Christian life is not about religion. Far from it. It’s about living with God: my Lord and Savior Jesus himself. 

I have my doubts and struggles. I fall short daily. But God. The One who knew no sin freely gave His Son to redeem me, a sinner. In his RICH mercy he has given himself— wholly and fully to me out of GREAT love. That we might have access to life together with Christ! Only by His grace.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved [Ephesians 2:4-5]

With steadfast confidence I can say that God did a refining work in me that year. I am continually grateful for his faithfulness and for the ways he has so intentionally humbled me (and continues to do so).

Some Little Life Updates…

While I am on the topic of God’s faithfulness and blessings, I wanted to share a few life updates from this spring!

As previously mentioned, I visited friends in Israel last month. God blessed this trip immensely. It was an honor to be able to be there to support my friend for one of the biggest moments of his life! Some highlights were the Dead Sea, hiking Masada at sunrise and visiting Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Above all, it was a joy to spend quality time with my friend & his family and make many new friends as well. To top it off, attending a Messianic-Jewish wedding in Jerusalem was a 10/10 experience. I might already be planning my next trip back… 🙂

At the end of May, I hosted a very large bridal shower for my sister, which turned out so lovely. This marked the first event in the oncoming wedding craziness with two siblings getting married this summer.  

I’ve continued nannying for the same family who have 3-year-old & 17-mo-old boys. The sunnier weather has meant more trips to the zoo, playgrounds and a week-long trip to Victoria, CA earlier this spring. 

Among other events this spring I’ve filled my days with quality time with friends, climbing outdoors, and hanging out with family (who are now all officially home of the summer!) 

Praise/Prayer

• Visa Update! Praise God for his hand in the visa process. I’ve officially mailed off my last document to get authenticated, gotten my passport photos, and am assembling final details for my (very thick) application folder. To top it off, I have a very official looking document with fingerprints proving I am indeed not a criminal (whew!) My visa appointment is scheduled for July 16. Continued prayers would be appreciated! 

• Please pray for my family as both Elise & Danny (sister and her fiancee) and Andrew & Sage (brother and his fiancee) are getting married this summer. Being home this summer is a gift that I want to savor. Pray for a fruitful season & quality time with family despite the business of planning two weddings in our household! 

• Pray for closure as I prepare to move at the end of the summer, and that God’s hand would be in all the tiny details that come with making a bigger, more permanent move. Also pray for my mom as she prepares for 4 of us kids to move out within the span of a month. (If you are confused about why/where I am moving, please go back and read my last post 🙂

• Continue to pray for the peace of Israel. Praise: my friend (Yotam) was released from the military in time for his wedding, and that myself along with other guests from abroad were able to travel to Israel safely! God’s hand was really in this. Pray: Continue to pray for the hostages to return home, for those who have been displaced from their homes, and for everyone whose lives have been altered by the impact of the war.

Thank you all for your continued prayers. Be blessed.

In His Grace,

Hannah