WATCHWORD:
45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46 And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth? ”Philip said to him, “Come and see.” 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!” 48 Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” John 1:45-48
Meditation:
After the Darkness
The darkness does not break-down hope, it reveals the depth of our faith and builds something within us, a strength beyond our understanding. Oswald Chambers writes about “God’s training grounds” which he refers to as those times when we seem to be at wits end. When we trust what God has engineered into our lives, into our character, so that overcoming that rough spot, that obstacle reveals whose we are.
God’s training ground? I have a vivid recollection of basic training as an 18-year-old and that very first mile, double-timing with full back pack, and how almost impossible it was, but then weeks later, doing five miles was nothing, or almost nothing. Training, conditioning, committing, transforming. God’s training ground can be rough and tough. It can be isolated, frustrating, exhausting, testing, you name it, and it is.
I have a friend who told me, at the funeral of his wife, that it was as if the Lord had offered him a contract of 80 years of love and health. But, then… He thanked God for that long time of blessedness.
On the other hand, if a year ago, we were told with certainty, that we would be going through this pandemic and all that it has meant, how would we have prepared? We presume that we would be ready for battle if confronted with a great crisis, but it is not the crisis that builds something within us— it simply reveals what we are made of already. Do you tell yourself that if God calls you to suffer, then, of course, you will rise to that occasion”?
Chambers writes that you won’t rise to the occasion unless you have done so on God’s training ground. Double-timing with a heavy back pack is not the point, and tolerating the load of life is not training. God’s training ground is day-by-day, each day relying on Him. Calling on Him, talking with Him. If you want to get in fit spiritual condition, a private relationship with God is the greatest sign of spiritual fitness. The time will come, as Nathanael experienced in the above passage, that a private “fig-tree” life will no longer be possible. [Note – In Old Testamant writings, the phrase “Under a fig-tree” implied one who contemplated the Holy Scriptures.]
Chambers concludes, “Everything will be out in the open, and you will find yourself to be of no value there if you have not been worshiping in everyday occasions in your own home. If your worship is right in your private relationship with God, then when He sets you free, you will be ready. It is in the unseen life, which only God sees, that you have become perfectly fit. And when the strain of the crisis comes, you can be relied upon by God.”
Bulletin Board:
Advent. In 375 AD, December 25 was agreed to and accepted as the date to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus. We accept that, we celebrate it, yet, some theologians are doubtful. They point to shepherds in the fields and to new-born lambs, events that do not typically happen in the middle of December. In a way, it really doesn’t matter, Christ is Lord and we should be celebrating that with every breath we take.
Now, December 3, that is a date with meaning. Actually, we all have a date with meaning – our birthday. As for today, December 3, that’s Graham’s birthday, and probably others. Happy birthday, Graham.
Closing Prayer:
Lord, we ask that you continue to give us hope in this sometimes, uncertain world. Help us to stay positive and to live our lives as your servants, believing and trusting that you are always walking with us in both our struggles and our joys. We trust what you have told us through Jeremiah when you said, “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. You are our Lord and Savior, and it is in your name that we pray. Amen.
