In The Land of Milk and Honey

December 10, 2009 | Posted by marlaynegiron

My friend, Wendy, is president of a Messianic Jewish Club. She is a teacher of scripture, a Biblical dramatist, accomplished musician and an author. She studied theology at Hope International University and Drama at Brown University. Her “Women of the Bible” dramatic presentations have been performed throughout the U.S., Mexico, Israel and specifically Bethlehem. Her first book: “The King is Born” is filled with beautiful illustrations from well-known Israeli artist, Baruch Ma’ayan and portrays the story of Jesus’ birth as it might have been experienced in ancient Israel. Although Wendy’s current ministry calls her to work in the U.S., most of her heart remains in and longs for Israel. The Wish Fulfillment story below was written to encourage her in the ministry she has here and to remind her that she will eventually get there.

In the Land of Milk & Honey…

Consciousness came slowly…lazily…gently. The bird song somehow sounded different, the air heavier and sweeter. Wendy opened her eyes slowly and beheld dappled sunlight filtering through a canopy of grape leaves, laden with heavy purple-black grapes.

She turned her head to the side and looked about her “room”. It was simple and yet beautiful. Pure white blankets glowing with the morning sunshine lay upon her. A wooden table, elegant in its simple beauty held a bowl of fresh fruit, and a pitcher of iced tea and a glass.

With a sudden intake of breath, Wendy sat up and looked through the transparent walls of her sukkot booth. In the distance were rolling hills of vineyards and orchards and to the other side in the distance, the lake of Galilee. She suddenly knew why the air felt heavier and sweeter…the presence of Yeshua.

How had she come to be in this place; the land where her heart beat like a drum with joy and all her senses were awakened as if from a deep stupor? Yisrael. She stood slowly, hesitantly to her feet noticing at once her white linen frock, glowing as if it possessed a light of its own. On her feet were hand crafted sandals. The morning sun was rising higher and with it came a breeze smelling of roses, bay laurel and the fresh scent of the sea.

She stepped outside her sukkot booth into a garden which surrounded it. It was humming with bees and fluttering butterflies, busy collecting nectar from the numerous blossoms. With pounding heart; afraid to wake up from what must surely be a dream, she slowly climbed the nearest hill, breathing deeply in and out as if each breath were nourishment. She stood and faced the holy city, Jerusalem and was stunned. It was not as she remembered it at all. The Dome of the Rock was gone and in its place stood a gleaming temple of gold and alabaster. The filth of the Arabic section of the old city was gone, replaced by avenues of trees and streets that glistened like gold in the early light.

“Do you like it?” spoke a familiar masculine voice. Wendy closed her eyes and inhaled sharply. It was the voice of her beloved but it was not in her head but in her ears.

“Yeshua…” she breathed, holding up her arms; tears welling up and spilling down her cheeks from underneath her closed eyes. She fell slowly to her knees. “Yeshua?”

“There is a question in the saying of my name, beloved,” came the response. “You are wanting to know if you may stay here always?”

“Yes,” whispered Wendy, barely able to breath or speak.

“My precious child,” responded the Master, gently enfolding her in His embrace. “There is no such thing as time where I am concerned; for I live outside of it…and you with Me. Where I am there you are also…and my eyes and heart of ever upon this place, so in a sense…you have never left Israel and it has never left you. The body which you must inhabit within the human time domain is limited but not your heart or your soul. One day time will cease to exist and both body and soul will be reunited with Me in this place that remains the apple of my eye. Can you endure until that “time” and do the work I have set before you?”

“Lord, you know my heart and soul’s desire…I will always gladly serve you” replied Wendy.

Yeshua smiled upon her and in the instant she beheld that smile she felt the sight, sounds, smells and “feel” of the land implanted indelibly upon her mind and heart. From that moment on, wherever she placed her feet, Israel and Jerusalem went with her and before her. A secret to enjoy between her and The Redeemer as well as the hope of the real reward yet to come.

“Now, come…” Jesus said, holding out his warm brown hand to her. “Let us enjoy this day together and converse to our heart’s content. What would you like to do first?”

THE END

About: marlaynegiron:
Marlayne Giron is a Messianic Jew, wife and mother living in Orange County, California. She grew up in a nominally religious Jewish home. Both of her parents were Jewish as is her entire family. She attended a reformed Temple in her youth and observed the high holy days but it was mostly done out of a cultural obligation to Judaism rather than devotion to God. Like many Jews, Marlayne was raised with an anti-Christian/anti-Jesus “bias” and was taught that it was the height of betrayal to her Jewish heritage to "convert". As she grew up, Marlayne had little to no interest in spirituality and at age 13 considered herself an atheist. At this time the “Jesus Movement” was in full swing and there were many times that ended up getting witnessed to (to her great annoyance) until she figured out that praying the “sinner’s prayer” with the “Jesus Freaks” would get rid of them a lot quicker than arguing; they would go away happy and she would be spared an hour-long diatribe. In 1973 occult movies like The Exorcist and The Omen were all the rage and while reading the book, The Omen, she got curious enough to read the Book of Revelation. To put it in her own words: it “scared the living daylights” out of her. She didn't give the Bible or Christianity a second thought until 1977, when at the age of 17, Marlayne accepted Jesus as her Messiah as a direct result of watching the new Easter television film called “Jesus of Nazareth” by Franco Zefferelli. As she recounts her “conversion” during the crucifixion scene: “It was like a light bulb went on over my head and I heard myself thinking: If he can do that for me, the least I can do is to give Him my life!”. At the age of 22 (In 1982) Marlayne was inspired to write The Victor by a line in an Amy Grant song called: “Fairytale” (from her Father's Eyes album). The particular verse in the song which inspired the idea was: “two princes wage the battle for eternity but the victor has been known from the start”. The verse made her imagine Satan as an evil knight in black armor and Jesus as a knight in shining armor crossing swords over "the bride of Christ". She wrote the story in her free time at work on an IBM Selectric typewriter. Shortly thereafter, when she asked of the Lord a confirming scripture that the idea for The Victor was from Him, He led her to: Psalm 45:1 My heart overflows with a good theme; I address my verses to the King; my tongue is the pen of a ready writer. Marlayne rewrote the story over the course of almost 30 years and made many attempts to get it published for several years but after a 4-year bout with ulcerative colitis that resulted in major surgery, then infertility then the adoption of her daughter and the demands of having to work full-time to pay the bills, she gave up on her dream of The Victor ever being published until April of 2008 when Tate Publishing called to offer her a contract. The Victor was released on April 14th of 2009 and the Lord has opened up many doors for word to get out on her book. One of which being that as a direct result of her former employment with John Styll at CCM Magazine 28 years ago (who is now currently President of the Gospel Music Association), both he and Amy Grant now have copies of The Victor and Marlayne's personal copy has been autographed by Amy Grant herself. To see all articles by Marlayne Click Here!

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