The Tunnel

[Originally posted Thursday, April 05, 2007]

((Derek Prince))
"I had the impression that I was forcing my way through a long, dark tunnel. A place of release and fulfillment was prepared for me at the far end, but there was no way to get there except through the tunnel. My progress could be measured by the hours I spent in prayer. Finally, on the last day of the week, there was a tremendous release. I sensed I had come into the light at the end of the tunnel. From that moment, I knew my future was assured. There was no more struggling, no more fretting. In the spiritual realm, the issue was settled. I could wait with quiet confidence for its outworking in the natural realm. In the months that followed, I felt I was watching a living chessboard, on which a master hand moved one piece after the other into place." ~Derek Prince

((My Story of Caesarea))
This was my very first taste of Israel.

After Iyad had finished his lecture, we made our way to the stone walls and ruins. Perhaps I was tired from the trip, or simply not thinking straight from lack of sleep, but I had assumed that we would only walk along the walls and the ruins that I could see from where we stood. But then the group flocked toward a tunnel through the wall, presumably progressing toward the real site. With an air of surprise, I followed them into the tunnel, thoroughly enjoying the fact that the signs were in Hebrew.

Emerging from the tunnel, I gasped.

A vast array of sea and stone spread out before me. At my feet, the ground dropped in a steep decline of stadium seats carved from ancient stones. I had entered the amphitheatre, facing out toward the Mediterranean Sea. I was breathless. I had obviously not paid attention to Iyad’s lecture. All around me were the awesome wonders of Biblical history, emanating an ancient glory unequalled in all my days.

“Now I believe I’m in Israel,” I breathed.

I was in shock. Utter shock. Right before me was the sapphire sea, extending endlessly in either direction. Below and around me were the evidences of man’s masterful creation, carved and hewn from the rock. The air was warm, the breeze alive and refreshing. I had entered into a whole new world.

((A Journal Entry))
"It's like Caesarea, where everything looked amazing on the outside, but I had to go through the tunnel to discover the breathtaking wonder and beauty on the other side--an entirely new world that I hadn't even thought to imagine."