Photo: Tel Aviv at night looking out over the Mediterranean Sea. © Denison Ministries

Seek your calling in Tel Aviv

In Ezekiel 3:15, the prophet states, "I came to the exiles at Tel-abib [Tel Aviv], who were dwelling by the Chebar canal, and I sat where they were dwelling. And I sat there overwhelmed among them seven days."

This scene from the Babylonian exile became the title of a 1902 novel by Theodor Herzl, The Old New Land, outlining his vision for a Jewish state in the land of Israel. Herzl, a Viennese Jewish writer, felt called to work toward that vision after his encounters with anti-Semitism in Europe.

Tel means "mound," a man-made mound of civilizations built one on top of the other. Aviv means "spring." Jewish settlers founded the Israeli city of Tel Aviv in 1909. A year later, the city was named Tel Aviv to express solidarity with Herzl's vision and to symbolize the renewal of the Jewish people.

Tel Aviv was, in many ways, a first step toward a new beginning.

It was the first place Ezekiel was led to start his ministry of revival and renewal among the Jewish people, and it is often among the first places people go when they tour the Holy Land. When our ministry leads groups through Israel, we usually spend our first night in Tel Aviv, and the symbolism is important to note.

What is your calling?

We hope that this Lenten season will be a time of renewal and regeneration for your walk with God. We also pray that the Lord will use this time to equip you, as He did Ezekiel, to speak His truth to our culture and call them back to righteousness.

So, as we spend time walking through the Holy Land over the coming weeks, remember that the prophet's calling is also ours, and ask God to help you grow into it more and more each day.

And whether that prayer marks a new beginning in your walk with the Lord or simply serves as a reminder of the commitment you've already made, trust that the same Spirit who empowered Ezekiel stands ready to empower you as well.

We just have to be willing to be used.

Will you make that commitment today?