I walked today where Jesus walked, In days of long ago. I wandered down each path He knew, With reverent step and slow. Those little lanes, they have not changed, A sweet peace fills the air. I walked today where Jesus walked, And felt Him close to me.
– Hymn by Geoffrey O’Hara
It has always been a dream of mine to travel to Israel. This past week I was finally able to make that dream a reality. My wife, my kids, my parents, and I joined a group of fellow believers and our pastor from Salt Lake on a Biblically-based tour of Jerusalem and other historically-significant locations in Israel.
Now, I went into this experience expecting it to be mind blowing and I anticipated my days to be filled with a sense of awe. What I didn’t expect is that I would have a humbling lump in my throat the entire time. It was both strange and wonderful to travel the same steps of our Savior. We listened as our pastor read words from the Bible in the exact locations depicted over 4,000 years ago.
We traveled on the Sea of Galilee in a wooden boat and I was transported back to Jesus calming the waves and walking on water.
On one day alone, we walked 8 hours and 7 miles wandering the streets Jesus walked on Palm Sunday, as well as the exact steps of his crucifixion.
I was baptized in the River Jordan where John the Baptist baptized Jesus.
I know I can never truly walk in Jesus’ shoes, but walking where he walked, sitting where he gave the Sermon on the Mount, seeing where he suffered in prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, and standing where he stumbled, overcome with the heaviness of the cross and His imminent sacrifice, He felt so close to me. I felt as if He walked beside me, sat beside me, ate beside me, and I truly felt His presence in each and every step. I cannot fully express what this trip meant to me and my faith, but I can tell you this…
I knelt today where Jesus knelt,
And felt Him close to me.
