Tamarisk and Fig: Inspirational Partners

 Ever wonder what plant Hagar threw her son under?

Ever wonder what Abraham planted by the well?

What about the tree Nathaniel was sitting under?

The list could go on and on, but there's 3 scenes that I have been reflecting on.

Hagar had run from a harsh woman, and felt like the end was there for her and her child. She throws her son under a tamarisk tree. God came and met her, and she was thankful for the "God who sees me." We all have moments when we need an intimate encounter with God. If He sees, we know it's going to be okay.

Abraham had a bunch of problems with well squatters. They kept taking over his hand hewn wells, and finally they had a "come to Jesus" moment. After the promise was made that there's no more snitching, Abraham plants a tamarisk tree. And he stays for many days in the land of the Philistines.

So what is significant about the tamerisk? They can survive in drought and salty conditions. They have a honey like substance called manna dripping off.

In the context of working overseas, this stands out. Tamarisk inspire us to survive the droughts of life. We can give off a sweet substance. We can be a shelter for someone in trouble. After Abraham planted the tree, he stayed in the foreign place for a long time.

Nathaniel sat under the fig tree. If you watch the Chosen season 2, episode 2, you'll understand this better what is mentioned in John when Jesus called him. Jesus was not visible to him when Nathaniel was under the tree, but at the time of his calling, Jesus tells him that He saw him under the tree. Before you get your calling, you are seen.

The significance of the fig tree itself is found in it's fruit. The fruit is a super good for anything that ails you. Google it. Jesus cursed one that had no fruit. This was a good food to eat when you were on a journey and needed a little energy. 

So God sees the things going on under the trees. He made the tamerisk to survive the desert, and the fig to help us survive.

When life is dry, be like that tamerisk and thrive in spite of the conditions. And if you need to, reach for a fig to tide you over.

Tamerisk and Fig. Your inspirational partners found in nature.

P.S. Their relative, the flamboyant tree in Asia and tropical areas of the world is known to bloom at the end of the dry season before the rains come. When most things are brown, it blooms. When life looks brownish, bloom!

Another in the Fire

 T shirt ads pop up all over social media. I normally skip over them without much of a second glance. But then one with, "There was Another in the fire." 

Daniel is the familiar character we associate with being in the fire. Jesus was seen even by the king who ordered him and his friends thrown in. 

God held back the flood of water so the Isrealites could walk through on dry ground. Fire, water, earthquake... God is there.

Moses had multiple crisis scenarios with Pharoah before the people were finally allowed to leave. God was there, creating plagues in the middle of it all.

In the 2021 Velvet Ashes retreat, (a great resource group for women working overseas/inner cities) Danielle Wheeler talked about the burning bush scenario where God promised they would be back at this mountain. The wilderness years of the Israelites weren't just because they sinned. It was because God had preplanned this wilderness journey, and wanted to be their only God. Wilderness is designed to strip us from our idols. In the middle of the fire, we want to make demands of why. But we need to surrender instead and let God do the interior work that He wants. The very reason He led us here is to bring us closer to Him.

Joseph was in prison before he got his breakthrough. God was with him in prison as much as He was when Joseph was a ruler in Egypt. In fact, God made sure it was written down that God was with Him.

Job had done nothing wrong, but lost everything and got judged by his so called friends. Eventually, the truth came out, and God restored his life. Initially, it seems like God wasn't there, but I imagine He was actively watching Job like the Father in the Prodigal son story.

More people of the Old Testament could be mentioned. But even after all those difficult dramas, the Isrealites still had to wait through 400 silent years for the Messiah. Even in the silence, God was there sustaining their lives.

God has been there for me over and over. He never left. Sometimes He was silent. But I can see Him as I look back, especially over the past 5 years that have held difficult times. He has brought me through to the other side where I can see it more clearly. He's telling me that He saw all the stretches that felt dark, cold, "unseen" and "misunderstood." He knows the days when I couldn't sing "Jesus loves me," without wondering if it was really true. He knows that the verse in Hebrews about "rewarding those who diligently seek Him" was a hard one that tripped me up when no answer was in sight. But God was there, and He didn't stop there. Goodness no! I KNOW that Jesus loves even me, and He does reward those who seek Him now more then ever.

Fire softens us. Just like most things under heat, we become more pliable if we let God do His thing. We get to choose: better or bitter. It's a testimony to the long rough road, but it was a high compliment on the day that an older lady who I admire from a distance told me that she has seen me soften from when she first remembers meeting me. Sometimes we want the outcome without the pain, but you can't have one without the other. On the day when you don't know which way is up or down, determine to hang on for the ride, and become better. You'll thank Him for it later.

Fire removes dross, the rubbish floating around in our souls. It purifies and cleanses. It changes what we turn to, as it reveals the empty promises of our idols.

Fires are an invitation. Let God into the motherboard of your heart and transform you. Stop trying to control the flames. Just accept the journey, and let God do His thing.

If God calls you to enter into the fire in someone else's life, then offer them an invitation to stop striving and struggling. Say something powerful like, "If you would let yourself cry over all the things, I think you might be crying for a long time." Or "I am surprised that you made it this far." Or "It sounds like you have had a lot of losses." Or "How's your soul?" Start with an invitation of grace. Speak truth later. After they know you care. Sandwich the hard with kindness.

If you are in the middle of the fire, stick it out. It's completely worth it. The changes, the healing, the growth, learning curves, the new compassion, more of Jesus, and just knowing that it is enough to have Him with me in it. I bought the shirt cause it rings true with a deep internal heart string I have. I know fire, and I know there was Another in it with me. You will make it through, and you'll see Him in your fire if you look.

The shirt took longer than necessary to ship. I finally googled reviews on the company which were terrible. Fraud and more. Okay God, is this company is bad deal, or are You wanting to teach me something? Several days later, I was reflecting on episode 2 of the Chosen season 2, and the lost dreams of my own when I got a message saying that the shirt had shipped. In the middle of my burnt up dreams, God was there. There was Another in the fire. Watch the episode, and let it speak to you if you are frustrated with life turning out different than you thought. Sometimes, our dreams are so much smaller than what God has in mind.

A song with these words was part of the Velvet Ashes retreat a year ago. I've added the lyrics to the end of this post for you. The sound track became a regular on my playlist for a while.

There's a grace when the heart is under fire
Another way when the walls are closing in
And when I look at the space between
Where I used to be and this reckoning
I know I will never be alone

There was another in the fire
Standing next to me
There was another in the waters
Holding back the seas
And should I ever need reminding
Of how I've been set free
There is a cross that bears the burden
Where another died for me
There is another in the fire

All my debt left for dead beneath the waters
I'm no longer a slave to my sin anymore
And should I fall in the space between
What remains of me and this reckoning
Either way I won't bow
To the things of this world
And I know I will never be alone

There is another in the fire
Standing next to me
There is another in the waters
Holding back the seas
And should I ever need reminding
What power set me free
There is a grave that holds no body
And now that power lives in me

There is another in the fire
Oh-oh
There is another in the fire
Oh-oh
There is another in the fire
Woah-oh
There is another in the fire
Oh-oh (I can see)

I can see the light in the darkness
As the darkness bows to Him
I can hear the roar in the heavens
As the space between wears thin
I can feel the ground shake beneath us
As the prison walls cave in
Nothing stands between us
Nothing stands between us

There is no other name
But the name that is Jesus
He who was and still is
And will be through it all

So come what may in the space between
All the things unseen
And this reckoning
And I know I will never be alone (I know, come on)
And I know I will never be alone

There'll be another in the fire
Standing next to me
There'll be another in the waters
Holding back the seas
And should I ever need reminding
How good You've been to me
I'll count the joy come every battle
'Cause I know that's where You'll be

And I can see the light in the darkness
As the darkness bows to Him
I can hear the roar in the heavens
As the space between wears thin
I can feel the ground shake beneath us
As the prison walls cave in
Nothing stands between us
Nothing stands between us

There'll be another in the fire
Standing next to me
There'll be another in the waters
Holding back the seas
And should I ever need reminding
How good You've been to me
I'll count the joy come every battle
'Cause I know that's where You'll be

I'll count the joy come every battle
'Cause I know that's where You'll be
I'll count the joy come every battle
'Cause I know that's where You'll be

I'll count the joy come every battle
'Cause I know that's where You'll be
I'll count the joy come every battle
'Cause I know that's where You'll be

Source: Musixmatch