ANCHOR DEVOTIONS (APRIL 11, 2012)

Solitude

John 1:43-51



"Jesus answered, 'I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Phillip called you.' Then Nathanael declared, 'Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.'"
(JOHN 1:48-49)

"I don't need to go to church. I see God in my garden." Have you ever heard that excuse? People use it a lot. What they mean is that they have enjoyed some solitude and have mistaken their surroundings for God.

The truth is that you can't see God in a garden: He's not a plant. Yes, He made everything in the garden, but He is not one of the things He made. These people have got the point of solitude exactly backwards. You don't see God in a garden; He sees you. Strictly speaking, there is no such thing as solitude. Even when you get away from other people, you are still not alone.

This is what Nathanael discovered in today's verse. He thought he had been alone, under a fig tree, running his own life. But there was someone watching him, waiting to change his life in a radical way.

Have you missed the point of solitude? Jesus sees you and waits to change your life. In this time of solitude, realize that He sees you and is calling you. Will you recognize your King and follow Him as Nathanael did?

INSIGHT
SOLITUDE IS A GOOD THING, BUT IT'S NOT EVERYTHING. IT'S JUST ANOTHER WAY THAT WE CAN ENCOUNTER THE ONE WHO IS OUR ALL IN ALL.

READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
2 Samuel 11-12
Psalm 141
Colossians 3-4

John 1:43-51
New International Version (NIV)
Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael
43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”
44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote —Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.
“Come and see,” said Philip.
47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”
48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.
Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”
49 Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”
50 Jesus said, “You believe[a] because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” 51 He then added, “Very truly I tell you,[b] you[c] will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’[d] the Son of Man.”
Footnotes:
a. John 1:50 Or Do you believe … ?
b. John 1:51 The Greek is plural.
c. John 1:51 The Greek is plural.
d. John 1:51 Gen. 28:12

NEAR THE CROSS

Living the Christian life means never moving beyond the cross. If you cling to the cross all your life and never let go, there are three life-giving truths that will encourage you again and again.