The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…
"Personal"
"Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found Him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see. Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile! Nathanael saith unto Him, Whence knowest Thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. Nathanael answered and saith unto Him, Rabbi, Thou art the Son of God; Thou art the King of Israel" (John 1:45-49).
From complete skepticism to confident assurance, Nathaniel's perception of the Lord Jesus Christ seemed to transform instantly.
It appears that, as the old saying goes, the Lord Jesus had been reading Nathaniel's mail. Particularly, something about the mention of Nathaniel in that place splashed the water of life into the man's face, and even more, into his heart. I surmise that Nathaniel may have had a fig tree that was special and personal to him, perhaps where he retreated to seek God in prayer. I recall my own retreats into fig trees as a child on my grandparents' farm, not for prayer, but for the feeling of being alone and hidden away. Nobody else knew how I viewed those secret havens. I wonder if Nathaniel had such a place known only to himself and God, and thus to the Lord Jesus. "O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. "Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off" (Psalm 139:1-2).
I pray daily for myself and others that the Lord will be personal with us. Of course, we "presently walk by faith, not by sight," meaning that fig tree experiences will be measured by our Heavenly Father according to His perfect timing and application (II Corinthians 5:7). I experienced one of those moments yesterday in a way I may share in a subsequent message. Suffice it for now to say that the Lord made Himself so personal that for a moment, the light of Heaven shined so brightly that faith no longer seemed necessary. Figuratively, I felt I could reach out and touch the garment of God. Only He could have orchestrated the moment, and I felt once again like a little boy under a fig tree. Only this time, I knew I was not alone in my haven. "In the shadow of Thy wings, I will rejoice" (Psalm 63:7).
May the Lord be obviously personal with us, when and as His wisdom deems necessary. The many steps we must take completely by faith will become far more navigable, and most importantly, we will join Nathaniel in his acclamation of wonder: "Thou art the Son of God! Thou art the King of Israel!" God is indeed personal. One day, we will know such glory in every moment. For now, we rejoice in the times when Heaven's light shines upon us in ways known only to God and ourselves. We come forth in wonder from such experiences, and in the blessed assurance of "Thou art!"
"Thou wilt show me the path of life: in Thy presence is fulness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore."
(Psalm 16:11)
Weekly Memory Verse
"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints"
(Psalm 116:15)
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