Focus on the Family Magazine - October/November 2020

THAT THE WORLD MAY KNOW / FaITH & INSPIRaTION
Experiencing the
Lands of the Bible
my journey in the Judean Desert
has taught me to read Scripture
in a new way
BY JEAN DALY
JEN LINTS / ISTOCK.COM / PATTADIS WALARPUT
I CAN ATTEST FROM
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE:
It is hot in the Judean Desert!
Jim and I first met Ray Vander
Laan back in the mid-1990s when
<strong>Focus</strong> on the Family began producing
That the World May Know.
As new videos in the series were
released, each became a favorite
in the Daly household. Jim and
I would use these lessons for devotional
times with our sons, Trent and
Troy. Even as middle schoolers, our
sons watched the video sessions and
grasped many of the concepts.
For years, Ray kept inviting us
to experience one of his excursions
firsthand. He would mention
it every time Jim interviewed him
for the <strong>Focus</strong> on the Family broadcast.
But there was always some type
of schedule conflict. Finally, in 2016,
Jim and I were able to go to Israel
with one of Ray’s groups. The trip
was truly life impacting. And it was
challenging—the 14 days included
110 miles of hiking!
There is nothing quite like hearing
Ray teach on the murmuring
Israelites who were wandering in
the desert, when you’ve been hiking
for hours in that same hot desert
and murmuring a bit to yourself. You
don’t just hear the message—you
feel it.
It is extraordinary and moving
to look down into what may
well have been the apostle Peter’s
house, where Jesus healed many;
to stand in the actual valley where
David picked up rocks from the
dry riverbed to face Goliath; or to
be immersed in the River Jordan
where John baptized Jesus. It’s so
humbling to stand in a garden that
may be Gethsemane, listening to
Ray teach about the night of Jesus’
betrayal—hearing again how He
prayed alone while Peter, James and
John were supposed to keep watch
but slept. You stand there and can
almost see the scene being described.
You feel these moments. It brings the
Bible to life.
You sit—tired, hot and thirsty—
under a small broom tree that
provides just a bit of relief from the
heat of the desert. Ray teaches on
Psalm 121:5, which says, “The Lord
OctOber / NOvember 2020 FOCUS ON THE FAMILY 33