A Cry of Distress
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.
John 1:48
Read Psalm 86; John 14:21
The remark which the Lord Jesus made about Nathanael may cause us to
wonder. Just imagine He directed all His attention to you. Then you begin
to realize that He sees right through you, though you had never personally
met Him. Such was the case with Nathanael. In all probability he had experienced
different reactions from other people. Nathanael would be considered
a loner today. He was probably used to going his own way and could
often be found meditating all by himself. That his friend looked him up did
him a lot of good. In fact, his enthusiasm made him willing to go investigate
his friend’s claim of having found the Messiah. And it was precisely in this
way that he met the Lord Jesus!
In our text Nathanael asks the Lord how He knew him. Then something
wonderful happened. Just as He did with the Samaritan woman, and with
Peter as well, the Lord Jesus revealed to Nathanael that He was truly God by
saying: Before Philip called thee, I saw thee under the fig tree. Yes, before
Philip even spoke of Me, and before you even had any knowledge of Me, I
saw you engaged in prayer under a fig tree. That was the place where Nathanael
may have often resorted to be alone with God. There he remained,
unnoticed by the people and undisturbed. There he earnestly prayed for the
coming of the Messiah of God as every true Israelite did. The Lord will hear
the prayers of those who call upon Him!
Thought: True friendship brings its rewards.
Psalter 235: 1,3 (based on Psalm 86)
Lord, my petition heed, Now help me in my need,
My Saviour be; I am Thy servant, Lord, My trust is in Thy word,
Mercy to me afford, I cry to Thee.
Lord, hear me while I pray, While now in trouble’s day, I seek Thy face.
To answer, Lord, is Thine; Thou only art divine,
Most bright Thy glories shine, O God of grace.
