Mike Novotny - Inches Away From God
That it might not take decades and decades of study. We might be 12 inches, or 12 seconds, or 12 verses away from the beautiful thing that gets to our heart and reminds us of the beauty of the kingdom of God. Wow! We are here! Jesus was here, not around here. But here. Earlier this year, I got to explore Israel. I'm sitting, literally, in the place where Jesus' feet touched. I saw some amazing places. The old city of Jerusalem. In the Garden of Gethsemane. Beautiful Nazareth. At the Mount of Beatitudes. Capernaum, on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. And I can't wait to share these video devotions with you. Wow!
I am standing, for the first time, at a place that I have never been in Israel. I'm right in front of the ancient synagogue of Magdala. You might not recognize that name, but this is where Mary Magdalene was from. And in 2009, something amazing happened here. They were digging for a new retreat center and they stumbled upon, just 12 inches below the soil, this. A first century synagogue, right here on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. And the passage popped into mind that Jesus went around the synagogues of Galilee preaching and teaching the kingdom of God. And it happened here.
Honestly, it was overwhelmingly emotional the first time I laid my eyes on it. It's still getting to my heart right now. That Jesus was here, not around here, but here. Telling people that there was a king and a kingdom. A place where we can be safe from our enemies of sin and death and hell. And it was right here! This Bible passage popped into my mind today, from Psalm 119. It's a prayer. I think of how wonderful this place is. I mean, it was right here. Tour buses passing by the road, every single minute. And just 12 inches below the surface was something stunning and something beautiful. It was Jesus.
And I think about that prayer when you and I read this book, the Bible. That it might not take decades and decades of study. We might be 12 inches, or 12 seconds or 12 verses away from that beautiful thing that gets to our heart, and reminds us of the beauty of the kingdom of God. Now, this place is stunning. But this place is temporary. I imagine, in an hour, I'm not going to be standing here. Back in the car, back on the road, but there's something I can take with me that's even more wonderful than these ancient stones.
There's the message of Jesus, his kingdom, his love for you and his love for me. So maybe the next time you go to church, the next time you do your devotion at home with your family, the next time you open your Bible app, you can begin that devotion with these incredible words. If God answers that prayer, you might not be far away, but just inches away from the beauty and power of the kingdom of God. That's a powerful lesson that we learn at this amazing place called Magdala.