Rachel's Tomb

Rachel, the wife of Jacob, mother of Joseph and Benjamin, matriarch of the nation of Israel and matriarch of our Rachel's Heart, is celebrating the anniversary of her death this Sabbath. This is celebrated by a pilgrimage to Rachel's Tomb which is within Palestinian controled territory making this a dangerous trip. Several times over the years Rachel's Tomb has been a target of violence but the IDF has always maintained the security of the site.

Rachel as you remember died in childbirth after giving birth to Benjamin. This was a miracle in itself after Rachel had remained barren for so long. Jacob chose to bury Rachel there on the roadside, and it became a prophetic gesture as Rachel's tomb was passed time and again as the children of Israel were taken into captivitiy.

Jer 31;15-17 was Rachel's prayer for her children's safe return to their borders and it is the basis of our mission on Rachel's Heart.

Thus saith the LORD; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rahel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not.
16Thus saith the LORD; Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the LORD; and they shall come again from the land of the enemy. 17And there is hope in thine end, saith the LORD, that thy children shall come again to their own border.

As I sought the Lord for direction in setting up Rachel's Heart several miracles took place. First He directed me to set apart Fri 6pm to Sat 6pm as a time for prayer and fasting for our children. I did not realize at this time that this was the Sabbath.

Also I was impressed upon with specific instructions to make a bracelet for Rachel's Heart. The foundation of the bracelet was to use a red string, anointed with rose scented oil. I am not a jewelery maker by any stretch of the imagination, but I did follow the instructions of the Holy Spirit. Little did I know the mystery of Rachel's Tomb and the red string.  There is a tradition of receiving a piece of red string that is wrapped around the cenotaph at Rachel's tomb to wear around your wrist. This is part of a reminder of prayer, particularly for fertiltiy and for safety in childbirth.

What a wonderful confirmation of the instructions of the Holy Spirit. We will continue to pray for our own children's safe return from the wandering in sin, as we take the time to remember Rachel weeping in Ramah for the return of the children of Israel.