By now we have had several hikes and trips through the desert, which our professor calls a testing place. A few weeks ago we hiked around En Gedi, which has reached temperatures of 113F on past IBEX trips. We were blessed with cool weather because of a recent rain, but I can imagine what it must be like to hike that terrain in scorching heat. We stopped at a small spring and our professor, Abner read Psalm 63. This Psalm was written by David when he was in the wilderness of Judah, hiding from his enemies. He spent years in the wilderness, hiding in caves and fleeing from King Saul who was seeking his life. You can imagine how hard it would be to live in a place with little water and little protection, and how easy it would be to put your trust and hope in earthly provisions and strongholds. But David says, "O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek for you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water...Your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise You." David's body and soul were most likely weak and famished when he wrote this, yet instead of longing for water and security, he longs for the Lord! Abner asked us then, What do you love? What do you love more than God - what are you longing for?
I've been asking myself that question since that day, yet have found I am good at avoiding actually answering it. What do I love?
On our trip last week, Bill had us wander in the Wilderness of Paran for 40 minutes, like the Israelites did for 40 years. We read and meditated on Deuteronomy 8, which says that God led the children of Israel in the wilderness for forty years in order to humble them and test them, to see what was in their hearts. Verses 11-20 warn them to not forget all that God did for them and to remember the Lord who is the one who gives them every good thing. To remember is not just to recall, it is more of an action. We remember, and because of that we obey and follow. Verse 19 again made me ask myself, "What do you love?" It says, "if you forget the Lord your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I solemnly warn you today that you shall surely perish." I recommend that if you have not read Idols of the Heart by Elise Fitzpatrick, that you do. We think that today because we do not bow down to little wooden images that we don't have idols. Ohh but we do. Whether it be the praise of man, finanical stability, love, looks, sports, shopping, a spouse, control, stability, or something else, whatever we put in the place of God is our idol. Whatever we think about, talk about, spend our time and money on, whatever we love more than God - that is our idol. How can we forsake the fountain of living waters for broken and empty cisterns that hold no water? I hope that you will be challenged to ask yourself, as I have, "What do you love?" What do you think you need in order to be happy? Although I know I will continue to struggle to love the Lord with all of my heart, soul, and mind - I know that in His presence there is fullness of joy, and at His right hand are pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11).
Here is photo of the wilderness. Imagine wandering around here for forty years..
My roomate Courtney and I in front of a massive canyon, Mactesh Ramon.
A life-size model of the Tabernacle.
We hiked Masada at 5:30 am in order to catch this sunrise over the Dead Sea. I was sick; it was worth it. 
