A couple of months before I went to Israel I had a dream that seemed very significant to my upcoming journey. In this dream I found myself sitting at a table by a latticed partition outdoors under an olive tree. The setting appeared to be a Middle Eastern restaurant and I thought I must be in Israel. I looked at the olives on the tree and saw that there were all kinds from large black ripe ones to green ones, even with pimentos in them (a gourmet olive tree?) I saw that a lady was sitting at my table with me and I commented to her about the olives. She picked one and ate it, saying that it wasn’t good. I thought I would try a riper one, so I picked a big one and found it very tasty. I love olives of all kinds and sizes, but at this place I was into “big”. I enjoyed that olive so much that I decided to have as many as I wanted with my meal.
As I have since pondered on this dream, the Lord has gradually revealed some things to me. In Biblical interpretation of symbols, the olive tree represents the nation of Israel, and olive oil is symbolic of the flow of the Holy Spirit. What I feel the Lord is telling me through this dream is that because of the remarkable way He called me to go, including the miraculous provision that came through, whether or not my expectations were all met in the two weeks I was there, I was not to be disappointed.
Olives, like other fruit, do not appear in their maturity. First the seed, then the tree, then the fruit in its season. It begins small and grows, develops and ripens. My symbolic “eating” of the fruit of my journey; tasting the delights of being in the holiest land and recording in my life a panoramic background on which the entire Bible now emerges in a new contextual relevance, kick-started a continuous flow of pleasure and revelation in an added dimension to my spiritual life.
The Holy Spirit had previously revealed to me that I didn’t want to miss out on this trip, because if I went I would take a quantum leap in my relationship with Him. I have found this to be so. There has been a new thread woven into the tapestry of my being that has expanded my awareness of the Kingdom of God, allowing me to go even deeper, higher, and wider in Him. I believe this is not just a one-time experience, but part of the continuous and increasing flow of the oil of the Spirit over me and through me. My desire is to be an instrument of His anointing, which means to smear; I want to drip, slather, and rub this fragrant oil of His presence wherever I go, and on whomever I meet. I pray that you are a partaker of this blessing as I share with you.
Posts
