Sometimes, God speaks in clues.
He doesn’t say: “Colonel Mustard did it in the parlor with a knife.”
But he does say, in Proverbs 2:3-4, “Cry out for insight and understanding. Search for them as you would for lost money or hidden treasure.”
Recently, I sat on my bed at a conference center in central Florida, crying out for understanding. Notebook in hand, Bible in lap, I prepared for great insights. No profound thoughts came – only the awareness that I sat, looking at a picture of a palm tree. The picture graced the wall opposite my bed. I had seen it, without seeing it, for two days.
Suddenly, I knew in my spirit: God had given me a clue. I can’t explain how you know something in your spirit. It’s as if, deep in your gut, you feel a nudge. Your mind, which considers itself superior to your gut, often ignores the nudge. But if you pursue it, you find yourself on a treasure hunt.
“A palm tree,” I thought. I tried to recall Bible verses about palm trees. None came to mind. I looked up “palm” in the small concordance at the back of my Bible, only to find one verse about the palm of the hand. Making a mental note to explore further later, I let the clue lie.
That night, I left the conference center and drove to the condo in Kissimmee, Florida, that my sister-in-law Linda owns. When I arrived, Linda hugged me and waved me toward a bedroom and bath decorated in a palm tree theme.
Now I saw palm trees everywhere I looked. I triple-underlined my mental note to pursue this clue.
Two days later, back at home, I used my computer concordance to begin a treasure hunt. I discovered that the Deborah of the Old Testament “held court under Deborah's Palm.” Hmm. There, the people of Israel “went to her in matters of justice.”
I also learned that carvings of palm trees adorned the walls of Solomon’s temple, as well as the temple Ezekiel saw in a vision.
Ezekiel stressed how many palm trees he saw. He wrote, “At regular intervals all around the inner and outer sanctuary were carved cherubim and palm trees. . . . They were carved all around the whole temple. From the floor to the area above the entrance, cherubim and palm trees were carved on the wall of the outer sanctuary.”
Deborah the judge sat under a palm tree. Ezekiel the visionary saw palm trees everywhere he looked.
Psalm 92 reveals how you and I can enter into their experiences, and even go beyond them. The psalmist sang words the Amplified version renders this way: “The [uncompromisingly] righteous shall flourish like the palm tree [be long-lived, stately, upright, useful, and fruitful]; . . . . Planted in the house of the Lord . . . [Growing in grace] they shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be full of sap [of spiritual vitality] and [rich in the] verdure [of trust, love, and contentment]. [They are living memorials] to show that the Lord is upright and faithful to His promises; He is my Rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.”
Sometimes, God speaks in clues. When he does, he isn’t playing games. He’s inviting us to search for hidden treasure.
The clues lead to the treasure. The clues unlock treasure. The clues reveal him. Finding him, embracing him, we receive what he holds out to us.
Sometimes, God speaks in clues – and waits to see if we will seek.
He doesn’t say: “Colonel Mustard did it in the parlor with a knife.”
But he does say, in Proverbs 2:3-4, “Cry out for insight and understanding. Search for them as you would for lost money or hidden treasure.”
Recently, I sat on my bed at a conference center in central Florida, crying out for understanding. Notebook in hand, Bible in lap, I prepared for great insights. No profound thoughts came – only the awareness that I sat, looking at a picture of a palm tree. The picture graced the wall opposite my bed. I had seen it, without seeing it, for two days.
Suddenly, I knew in my spirit: God had given me a clue. I can’t explain how you know something in your spirit. It’s as if, deep in your gut, you feel a nudge. Your mind, which considers itself superior to your gut, often ignores the nudge. But if you pursue it, you find yourself on a treasure hunt.
“A palm tree,” I thought. I tried to recall Bible verses about palm trees. None came to mind. I looked up “palm” in the small concordance at the back of my Bible, only to find one verse about the palm of the hand. Making a mental note to explore further later, I let the clue lie.
That night, I left the conference center and drove to the condo in Kissimmee, Florida, that my sister-in-law Linda owns. When I arrived, Linda hugged me and waved me toward a bedroom and bath decorated in a palm tree theme.
Now I saw palm trees everywhere I looked. I triple-underlined my mental note to pursue this clue.
Two days later, back at home, I used my computer concordance to begin a treasure hunt. I discovered that the Deborah of the Old Testament “held court under Deborah's Palm.” Hmm. There, the people of Israel “went to her in matters of justice.”
I also learned that carvings of palm trees adorned the walls of Solomon’s temple, as well as the temple Ezekiel saw in a vision.
Ezekiel stressed how many palm trees he saw. He wrote, “At regular intervals all around the inner and outer sanctuary were carved cherubim and palm trees. . . . They were carved all around the whole temple. From the floor to the area above the entrance, cherubim and palm trees were carved on the wall of the outer sanctuary.”
Deborah the judge sat under a palm tree. Ezekiel the visionary saw palm trees everywhere he looked.
Psalm 92 reveals how you and I can enter into their experiences, and even go beyond them. The psalmist sang words the Amplified version renders this way: “The [uncompromisingly] righteous shall flourish like the palm tree [be long-lived, stately, upright, useful, and fruitful]; . . . . Planted in the house of the Lord . . . [Growing in grace] they shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be full of sap [of spiritual vitality] and [rich in the] verdure [of trust, love, and contentment]. [They are living memorials] to show that the Lord is upright and faithful to His promises; He is my Rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.”
Sometimes, God speaks in clues. When he does, he isn’t playing games. He’s inviting us to search for hidden treasure.
The clues lead to the treasure. The clues unlock treasure. The clues reveal him. Finding him, embracing him, we receive what he holds out to us.
Sometimes, God speaks in clues – and waits to see if we will seek.
. . . . . . .
Prov. 2:3-4 NLT.
Deborah. Judges 4:5 from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.
Ezek. 41:17-20 NIV.
Psalm 92:12-15 AMP.
Deborah. Judges 4:5 from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.
Ezek. 41:17-20 NIV.
Psalm 92:12-15 AMP.
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