«Philip said to Him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, «Show us the Father»?’ » (John 14:8, 9).
I have a friend who is dentist and takes care of people of all ages in his office. One day, a child came for his routine check-up. He was stubborn about using orthodontics and insisted that that was the treatment he needed; he demanded that my friend do orthodontics on him. Seeing his perfect set of teeth, the dentist explained that he did not need it and that he should also be happy because that treatment was painful and tedious. The boy kicked and cried, asking him to listen to him.
My friend came to the small group that night, told us about his experience, and reflected that many times, we too also play at asking God for what we «need;» we make demands to Him about what we think is best for us, and we insist on our will, so foolish and ignorant of what the suffering of going down certain paths or receiving things that we do not really need would mean.
Another friend told me, on the other hand, that he no longer knew what else to do. He had tried fasts, following everything to the letter, but he still did not seem to get answers to his prayers or explanations for the apparent silence or denial from God.
I told him that I liked to imagine the scene of a dispensary. A mother goes there to get a vaccination for her baby. The baby cries and does not understand that what is being done to him or her is for his benefit. Would it perhaps make sense for the doctor to explain to the child what he is doing? No! As hard as he might try, the more teaching strategies he might implement, the child simply could not understand it because he or she does not speak yet and is not at a stage of cognitive development in order to assimilate and understand the content explained.
Jesus came to establish that bridge between us and our limited comprehension of some things and the Father with His greatness and inscrutable mysteries. He came as an interpreter of His love and character. If we studied His life, His motivations, His daily communion, and His total dependence on the Father more, we would imitate better the One who left us the best example of life.
For what are you «having a fit» today? Surrender yourself into the hands of the One who really knows what is best.