A monthly column in which Julita Kok shares on living adventurously with God
The saying “time flies” is so true, and yet, at the same time, it can feel as if time is standing still. I suppose it depends on what you are busy with in life… or where you are at.
I just returned from Israel, and although I realised how quickly the time went, at times it also felt as if it would never end.
Israel was strange this time around.
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In 2025, God spoke to me about going to Israel around this time in July, and so I prepared for it. When war broke out in 2026, I asked the Lord if His plans had changed. Of course, God was never caught off guard by what was happening. So I knew… I was still to go.
If an airline would take me there, I was going.
Many people warned me. Some called me stupid. But I learned a long time ago that fear truly is a liar. It tells you all sorts of things, and then you have a choice: move towards the thing you fear and face it, or step back.
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I have found that when I face fear, the reality is usually far less frightening than what my mind created. Sometimes it is not scary at all. Sometimes it is. But once you face it, you are dealing with reality instead of something fictitious in your mind.
So, Israel was a GO.
Two friends who had never been to Israel felt God telling them to come with me, so suddenly I had two newbies! What an eye-opener to see Israel through their eyes again.
Now, let me be honest about Israel.
I do not particularly like the land itself. I have visited many places in the world, and somehow Israel would not be my choice for a fun holiday. There are beautiful places, and the deserts are amazing, but I often find it dusty and dirty. I am not talking spiritually now — just the physical land.
Yet God keeps sending me there. I have been many times.
And Israelis can come across as arrogant and very direct. This time especially, I found many people hostile and rude — from hotel receptionists to waiters and shop owners.
Then suddenly I realised… these are people living through war. They feel unsafe. They do not always know whom to trust. And that must be terrible.
So I had grace for them.
Because the Israelis I have actually come to know and built relationships with are amazing people. Once they open their hearts and receive you… friends for life.
Israel was also incredibly quiet.
I know Israel as a place packed with tourists and buses, long queues at religious sites and tour guides shouting at everyone to hurry up. This time we experienced almost none of that.
At many places, it was just the three of us. Some sites were closed or operating limited hours. Very few tourists.
It was both sad and wonderful. Wonderful because we had opportunities I have never had before, but sad because you could see what the lack of tourism was doing to people who depend on it.
And it was HOT! Around 40°C in the desert and roughly 34–37°C in Jerusalem and elsewhere. I rented a car, and I thank God for whoever invented air conditioning!
I have many friends in Israel and made new ones on this trip. One thing that struck my two friends was how many secular Jews we met. Many simply do not believe in the God of their fathers.
When you talk to people, you hear painful questions:
“Where was God during the Holocaust?”
“Where was God on October 7?”
You can try to explain and become God’s marketer and fight on His behalf, but many do not want explanations. Some are disappointed in God because they do not see Him fighting their battles the way they expect Him to.
My two friends found this very difficult and wanted to convert the Jews all the time… hehehehe.
And then there is the war.
For Israelis, living with conflict is sadly not something new, although many people we spoke to felt that this time was different. It was closer.
Personal.
Yet life continues.
During our time there, we saw very little that looked like war, apart from soldiers — mostly very young men and women — everywhere. I never felt unsafe.
Spending time with Messianic Jewish believers was also very special. They are active in helping people affected by the war and believe they have been called for a time such as this.
And then there are the Arab Christians. Beautiful people who mean business with God. Hearing their stories could fill a novel by itself. Life there is simply different from anywhere else I have been.
Israel is a melting pot of people and beliefs: secular Jews, religious Jews, Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox Jews, Arab citizens of Israel, Arab Christians, Druze, Messianic Jews and others. Each has their own history, identity and perspective.
The question of ultra-Orthodox military service is especially divisive at the moment. Many Haredi men have historically received exemptions from military service, while Druze men generally serve in the IDF. With elections approaching, these issues are deeply political as well as religious.
And if you are not rooted in Christ, I think much of what you encounter there can confuse you.
I often find that Christians — especially South Africans — romanticise Jewish people. They have an idea in their heads of what “the people of the Lord” should look like and can become very disappointed when reality does not match that picture.
Israel is not a nation where everyone loves God with all their heart. You see faith, unbelief, tradition, secularism and a LOT of religion.
And we need to remember that mainstream Judaism does not accept Jesus as the Messiah or as the Son of God. We cannot expect Jewish people to treat Jesus as Christians do simply because He is our Lord.
For me, seeing all of this is actually valuable.
You see the religion behind so much of it. You meet beautiful people who are incredibly sincere and disciplined in their faith, and there are things Christians can learn from that discipline.
It also surprises me when Christians visit places associated with the tomb or Golgotha — with all the debates around exact locations — and leave disappointed.
And I wonder… what did we expect?
He is NOT there!
That is the whole beauty of our faith. He rose from the grave. Praise God!
But there is something incredibly powerful about retracing the footsteps of Jesus. It puts the Bible into perspective and changes the way I read certain passages.
To stand on the Mount of Olives, looking across the graves towards the Old City, the sealed Eastern Gate, the Dome of the Rock and the Western Wall… knowing what Scripture says about Jerusalem and the return of Jesus…
It is magnificent.
Humbling.
You realise that this tiny piece of land has been at the centre of conflict for thousands of years. People fight over territory, identity, history and belief — and for me, there is an enormous spiritual dimension to all of it.
I could sit there for hours and simply think… and imagine.
Another sad yet mind-blowing thing to see is the Dead Sea.
The water level has been falling dramatically for decades, transforming the landscape and contributing to sinkholes along its shores. Seeing it with my own eyes, while thinking about biblical prophecy, filled me with wonder and expectation.
The whole area is changing.
And for me, that is part of the wonder of Israel.
Simply… the land of the Bible.
I feel privileged to have been able to visit Israel at this particular time. And despite everything going on, there were still those wonderful, ordinary moments.
The food was amazing, and swimming in the Mediterranean Sea and the Sea of Galilee is always a highlight.
Swimming in the Dead Sea, on the other hand, is an experience! I am not sure I would call it nice. It is SO hot, and definitely not a place you jump into to cool down! But it is one of those things you simply have to experience at least once.
God spoke many things to me that I am keeping to myself for now, but one thing remains: never fear that God is not in control.
There are so many different beliefs among Christians concerning modern-day Israel and the Israel spoken about in the Bible. It is easy to become caught up in arguments over all of it. For me, the most important thing is to make sure that I am in right standing with the God of the Bible and allow Him to reveal His truth through His Holy Spirit — the Spirit of Truth.
Scripture says, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.”
And so… life continues.
I am back home in South Africa, with our own struggles, frustrations and uncertainties. And my friends in Israel continue with theirs — living their ordinary lives in the midst of war, uncertainty and a future they cannot predict.
Different countries.
Different struggles.
Different realities.
But the same Father God.
Perhaps that is what I bring home with me most from this trip. Not answers to everything I saw or heard, but the reminder that God does not change when our circumstances do.
Israel continues. South Africa continues. Life continues.
And so do we.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
Hebrews 13:8
And somehow, that is enough for me.
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