Under the Fig Tree

My Personal Devotional Diary

Thursday 12-18-14 (Home in Modesto)  

Scripture reading John 1 through 4 

Scripture:  John 1:47-49 As they approached, Jesus said, "Here comes an honest man — a true son of Israel." "How do you know about me?" Nathanael asked.  And Jesus replied, "I could see you under the fig tree before Philip found you." Nathanael replied, "Teacher, you are the Son of God — the King of Israel!" NLT

Observation:  What was going under that fig tree? Only Nathanael knew… and Jesus.  Obviously it wasn’t something done in the public eye.  It was definitely not something that Nathanael was doing to impress his neighbors.  Something was going on that convinced Jesus that this was a true man of integrity.  I am guessing from the context that this man had a secret place of prayer.  He had developed a sacred “Bethel”…a “House of God” and a “Door to Heaven” hidden away from the public eye under a fig tree.  Don’t you love it!? 

Application:  I was a 16 year old kid riding my bike on the beautiful roads that wind up Mount Tabor only a mile as a crow flies from my house.  I parked my bike at the foot of a hill and climbed the path winding among the fir trees to the top to look out over the beautiful scene of the city of Portland, Oregon.  But something was on my mind.  I was troubled about something.  I was a lonely, confused teenager.  I had been saved as a small child, but now as I approached adult life I needed help… big time help! 

In high school we were being pressured to prepare for a career… to discover our talents and to balance them with our interests.  We had been given the “Kuder Interest Test,” designed to uncover our interests.  And we had spent a day at a facility that gave each of us a thorough “Psychometric Aptitude Test” designed to discover our abilities in almost every area.  Then with these results in hand, a trained counselor met with each of us to hopefully blend our interests with our abilities to help lead us toward our future career.  

My counselor lady seemed confused.  She showed me several areas where my tests were outstanding in both interest and capacity, but nothing seemed to rise to the top.  My interests and abilities were wide spread… music, art, mechanical, mathematics and engineering, all mixed with interest in religious themes.  She tried her best with me, but “drew a blank” and basically said, “Take your choice, kid.”  

On top of this, I felt out of place among many other youth my age.  They all talked about the latest movies and the movie stars… and I was a fanatical Pentecostal that never went to see movies. I just had to walk away.

So now alone up on that hilltop on Mount Tabor I found myself crying out to God.  “Please talk to me, God.  What am I going to study?  What am I going to do with my life?  Do You really have a plan for me?  Please, God I need help!”  I heard no voices, but down inside I knew that I had met with God.  So much so, that I returned to that spot many times over.  It became my secret “Bethel.” 

I was no saint.  I was a confused Christian kid that spent half his prayer-life confessing his most recent sins… and getting a warm hand of forgiveness and a fresh washing from Jesus.  I certainly was no Nathanael.  But if Jesus saw Brother Nathanael under that fig tree… I know He saw a skinny, helpless kid on top of a hill in Portland, Oregon.

Prayer:  Oh, God!  Back then that hilltop on Mount Tabor was my fig tree.  Where is my fig tree now?  Here I am bouncing around between California and Argentina, living in a different city every week, sometimes every day.  Oh God!  Lead me to my fig tree!  Take me to a secret place of communion with You.  

Thank you, Lord!  You are answering my prayer right now!  I can almost hear the music of heavenly angels singing.  Turn up the sound a little bit, Jesus.  Here I am, sitting at my computer during my scheduled devotional time, freshly back in my own home in Modesto.  And You are here!  Day before yesterday I was ten thousand miles away in a small borrowed apartment in Martinez, Argentina and You met me there.  Yesterday You met me flying 30,000 feet high as I read Your Word in a United Airline 767.  

God in heaven, don’t let me miss my time with You under the shade of the fig tree.  Take me to my Bethel every day.  I am still that same confused kid needing to hear Your voice.  Sometimes Your Holy Spirit still convicts me of sin and I find myself confessing it all to You and sensing Your bountiful forgiveness and cleansing.  Unworthy!  But accepted in the beloved because of You, Lord Jesus!  

Oh what a wonder!  Oh what comfort!  Oh what love poured out like fresh water upon a thirsty soul!  Oh what precious fellowship with You and Your Father through Your Holy Spirit!  I love You, Lord!  In fact, I am running to the keyboard right now to sing it to You!  Amen.

The song  book on the piano fell open to: “Cleanse Me” by J. Edwin Orr and I played and sang: 

1.    Search me, O God, and know my heart today,
Try me, O Savior, know my thoughts, I pray;
See if there be some wicked way in me;
Cleanse me from every sin, and set me free.

2.    I praise Thee, Lord, for cleansing me from sin;
Fulfill Thy word and make me pure within;
Fill me with fire, where once I burned with shame;
Grant my desire to magnify Thy name.

3.    Lord, take my life, and make it wholly Thine;
Fill my poor heart with Thy great love divine;
Take all my will, my passion, self and pride;
I now surrender, Lord, in me abide.

4.    O Holy Ghost, revival comes from Thee;
Send a revival, start the work in me;
Thy Word declares Thou wilt supply our need;
For blessings now, O Lord, I humbly plead.