September 2, 2012

The Western Wall

Today was my first trip to the Western Wall (wailing wall). I was absolutely astounded by what I saw there. I've seen pictures before of crying, wrinkled women slipping their prayers into the cracks of the stone. And yes, I did see this picture in reality, but it was more than that. 

The plaza was filled with military men in their green uniforms and huge guns slung around their necks. We proceeded past the men and funneled into the women's section of the wall. There was a hush and a warmness there that can only be described as the spirit of God. The women that were gathered around the wall poured their hearts into the stone, hoping that it would find its way to their Father in Heaven. I have no doubt that it does reach him.

A bit of a history lesson: The temple mount where the Dome of the Rock now stands was once the location of the Temple of Solomon and then the Temple of Herod. The location of the Holy of Holies within those temples is unknown, so the Jews of Jerusalem do not go on the temple mount for fear of violating a sacred space. Instead, they worship at the Wall which is the closest they can get to that Temple space without jeopardizing the holiness of the temple once standing. 


I put my own prayer in the stone asking blessings to my family and thanking God for his generosity. I didn't write my name on it, but I think He knew it was me.

   

No comments:

Post a Comment