Jerusalem Is Calling: Pilgrimage to the Holy Land

By Robbie Freeman Shugart

HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED HOW IT FEELS TO WALK WHERE JESUS WALKED?
ARE YOU READY TO TAKE THIS SPIRITUAL JOURNEY IN HIS STEPS ALONG WITH ME?

In Jerusalem is Calling, author Robbie Freeman Shugart takes you through her pilgrimage to the Holy Land. In the book of Mark, Jesus tells His disciples to "travel the world and tell others the good news" about what He did and to show others, in His name, the miracles, signs and wonders that follow believers.

In Matthew, Jesus says, "Ask and it will be given, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you." If you are seeking answers or looking for doors to open in your life, a journey through Israel may be just the clarity you need.
"There's no better time than now to hear God's heart calling to you in Jerusalem. By walking in the footsteps of Jesus, your life will be changed forever. I know, because it changed mine." - ROBBIE FREEMAN SHUGART

START YOUR PILGRIMAGE TODAY BY LETTING THIS BOOK GUIDE YOU ALONG THE WAY.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Oct 17, 2018
• ISBN: 9781947279551

Book preview

What was the best day of your life? Can you remember how you felt? Could you describe the details?

Does it smell and taste good? Did it really, really touch you? Was it your favorite song on the radio, a song that connected to every part of you? Would you say it was that one moment in time when your life seemed to come to a halt? Could it be a memory that you will never forget?

Maybe your best day was finding Jesus. If He is the horizon we move towards, we all want new encounters with Him—new wine for our new wineskins. We seek a harvest of spiritual fruit in a land of olives, grains, and grapes.

Traveling to Israel, experiencing places I had only read about in the Bible, was liberating as I stood where Jesus stood and walked where He walked. Seeing these holy sites restored my faith and was so encouraging. By the power of our Lord, I didn’t come home the same person as I was before I went to Israel.

My spiritual eyes have been unveiled with a continual revelation of who Jesus is. Seeing the visible made me understand the invisible. I experienced a spiritual circumcision of my heart—a radical change of mind, body, and spirit.

This change laid bare the eyes of my heart to not only just seeing but believing and receiving. Like Moses and the prophets before, God wanted me to hear His voice. At this pivotal point in my life, I learned to love the Lord with all my heart, mind, and soul. Hear the words from: The Shema, a daily recited, treasured Jewish prayer:

Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.¹

In the footsteps of Yahweh, let the Holy Spirit be your travel guide as you read this book. Experience all the sensations and feel the love of Adonai, your Lord in every word. You are on this journey with Him to a higher understanding of God in His Holy Land.

Why Bless Israel?

Should I bless Israel? I’ve always heard that those who bless Israel will be blessed. My grandmother always told me to bless Israel, which she did by giving to ministries that supported Israel. I believe I blessed Israel by visiting there and walking in His footsteps.

Let the nations of worshippers come into the gates for a harvest of refreshing. What about you? Will you bless Israel? Will you make your pilgrimage soon?

I rejoiced with those who said to me, let us go to the house of the Lord. Our feet are standing in your gates, O Jerusalem.¹

Being in Israel, the Bible comes to life, and I instantly found myself walking where Jesus walked. The same way God was calling Abraham, He was calling me to visit this holy place—to leave my family, my home, and take a leap of faith into the land of milk and honey.

I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all the people on the earth will be blessed by you.²

So long ago, Abraham did as the Lord told him to do. With Sarah, Lot, and everything he owned, they set out for this new land. He was seventy-five years old when the Lord told him to leave everything he knew. The faith of all nations depended on this one man’s obedience to an invisible God.

This time, I was the pilgrim on a journey to share the footsteps of our Lord. I was going to the Holy Land with people I had never met to see places I had only read about. I was filled with a feeling of excitement beyond words. I expected the heart of the Bible to come alive and I wasn’t disappointed.

Those special words of scripture tell us the precious Son of God became flesh and dwelt on the earth. His teachings, miracles, and preaching of the good news are well documented within the Word of God, our Bible. Reading the four gospels illuminates Jesus’ words in our inner man. Each writer of the gospels had a unique writing style and wrote from his perspective.

The Holy Spirit inspired each author to write these books. As you study and meditate on His Words, the gospels come alive. You will see Jesus as Teacher, Messiah, Healer and Lover of all men as well as the Savior of mankind. Not until you go to Israel will you read and experience the fifth gospel. The Holy Land is the final book of the gospels written on your heart.

My Living Bible traveled with me everywhere. A graduation gift, it protected a treasured note written and signed by my grandmother: I love my Robbie Angel. It was signed Grannie Opal. I cherish that note because she had also jotted down Numbers 6:24-26 which is also a special prayer to Jewish people, called the Aaronic Priestly Prayer Blessing.

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.³

The precious words of my daughter also followed my steps throughout the tour: And she is off to Israel. I am praying for a secure, safe trip for my Momma. I had traveled many times all over the United States and to other countries, but not to the other side of the world. This time I would be traveling to the Middle East.

Words could not express the excitement I felt during preparation. I had so much anticipation about the opportunity to go to the Holy Land and seeing where Jesus walked. Even all the days of playing and coaching basketball and being in the playoffs could not come close to the excitement that grew within my soul.

Upon arriving in Tel Aviv, I met our tour guide, whose name was Uri. He proved to be so kind and helpful throughout the tour. That day, Uri guided me outside the airport to the tour bus. I was the last person to arrive that day.

Everyone was so friendly and glad to see me. I gave the driver my bag and boarded the bus. I met a lady from Ohio and sat beside her on the ride to the hotel.

We were both so excited to be on this trip. As the bus departed for our hotel, I remember thinking, I am actually in Israel. The smells, the sounds just escalated our joy at setting foot in Israel.

Our bus driver was named Meir, and he knew very little English. But with a big smile, Meir knew how to communicate. Once the bus took off, our tour guide Uri started sharing his vast knowledge of Israel over a microphone.

To call him a travel expert is an understatement. As the first words came out of his mouth, I knew that Uri knew what he was doing. He knew so much about Israel and the Bible. Uri could open and close his Bible and quote an entire chapter. His special Bible went with him everywhere he went.

I asked Uri, How did you get to know the Bible so well?

Uri replied, I would read, repeat, write, and then recite it. Then I went to college to learn more about the Bible. Now, it’s in my heart. Watching me take notes, Uri continued, I started just like you. Keep taking notes and you will learn it too.

Uri knew the best places to shop, eat and special spots only a sabra would know. A sabra is a Jewish person who was born in Israel. He knew everyone at each place we stopped. They appeared to be one big family. His being a native of Israel was very evident. He displayed a tremendous loyalty, love and respect for his homeland.

Meir and Uri would wave, smile and frequently ask if anyone needed water. These two guys were a great combination. At all tour stops, they would check to make sure we all returned safely back to the bus to our seats. I was impressed with their care and concern.

What a fun ride from the airport to our hotel. We were all singing and watching the palm trees go by. Finally, the bus arrived at our first destination.

After unloading from the bus, we all stopped in the hotel lobby to check-in and retrieve our bags. The opening prayer was led by a man named Gabriel, who wanted all of us to hold hands. It was one of the most beautiful prayers I’ve ever heard. I was reminded of the model prayer that Jesus told us to