Nathaniel
by
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It took Mary and Eiran several days to get to the hill country of Judea. Zechariah and Elizabeth were outside and saw them coming up the dusty hill toward their house. Mary was overwhelmed with emotion when she saw Elizabeth, and she jumped off Sage and ran the rest of the way toward her older cousin. Mary smiled for the first time in days when she got close enough to see Elizabeth was pregnant. They both laughed when they embraced, because at that very moment, Elizabeth’s baby kicked so intensely that they both could feel it. They held hands and walked up the road toward the house.
It was getting dark. After talking for a while with Zechariah, Mary and Elizabeth sat up most of the night talking through what had taken place, trying to make sense of it all.
As the sun began to rise, Mary took a walk to pray and spend time with the Lord. The sun was just spilling over the Judean hills and spreading across the valley below. Mary closed her eyes and just stood there, struggling with the pain of the past few days and her desire to understand what God was doing. After a long while, she whispered, “Lord, what have you done for me today?”
With eyes closed, a single tear rolled down her cheeks. She instinctively reached out as if to hold her father’s hand. “The sun is warm but not too warm. There is a gentle breeze.” Mary smiled and turned her face upward.
She felt sadness and joy, and she could almost hear her father ask, “What else?”
“I hear the roosters and an ox or donkey coming this way on the road.” She stayed very still, listening to the sound getting closer and closer, and then it stopped. Mary’s eyes opened, and there, she saw Joseph standing with his donkey. They just stood there, neither of them knowing what to say.
Joseph took a step forward, and Mary backed up a step. Joseph stopped and raised his hand, reaching out for her. “Mary, please forgive me. I know you’re hurt.”
She just stood there confused, not knowing how to respond. Her heart was broken because he hadn’t believed her, but her prayer wouldn’t leave her mind, and the words overwhelmed her: “Lord, what have you done for me today?”
“Mary, the angel appeared to me too. I understand now.” He took a step closer, and she didn’t move away. “I know the child is from God.” Joseph came two steps closer and could almost reach her. “I want to go home.” He reached down slowly and gently took her hand. “I want to bring my wife”—she hesitated when he gently pulled her his direction—“and our child.” Joseph saw her countenance soften, and he reached for her, picked her up, and sat her on the donkey.
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About the Book
Nathaniel knew his friend was special when he met him in the temple. His wisdom at twelve was astonishing, and he seemed to know things and do things that couldn’t be explained. Little did Nathaniel know his friend, whom he doubted, would change history and eternity.
In Nathaniel, walk with young Nathaniel as he experiences the adventure, the difficulty, and the pain of friendship with his astonishing friend—the boy Jesus of Nazareth. As Nathaniel and Jesus grow up together as children in the city of Nazareth, Nathaniel bears witness to the curious life of a young Jesus and his miraculous powers—even though it could sometimes seem unbelievable. As they grow into adulthood together, Nathaniel must come to terms with his own doubt about who this man Jesus really is.
Author Tripp Davis weaves together a touching coming-of-age story with passages from the Bible to bring us closer to Christ and help us, like Nathaniel, recognize the significance and power of the risen Christ—before it is too late.
About the Author
Tripp Davis is a speaker, teacher, and businessman, and he has traveled all over the world to speak in churches. Tripp is a ministry leader at Grace Church of Humble, and his business experience as a Christian has led him to be interviewed multiple times on TBN’s Praise the Lord. Today Tripp lives with his wife, Jennifer, in North Houston, and they have an adult daughter.