What Satisfies

Show us the Father, and it is enough for us John 14:8

Enough – They didn’t get it. Three years with Jesus and they were still clueless. So when Philip asked Jesus to satisfy them, he put a big foot in his mouth. What was he really asking? To see God? Hardly. Every Jew knew that seeing the face of God meant instant death. No, Philip had something else in mind. He was asking for a miracle. He just wanted Jesus to provide proof. “Just let me see something certain, Jesus. Just give us a glimpse of the divine. Then we can believe.”

What’s enough for you? Does God have to provide you with a miraculous proof before you will decide to trust Him? Does He need to give you a rock-solid answer before you can be obedient to His call? Are you a miracle-only believer? Then you should change your name to Philip. He spent three years with Jesus and he never met the Father. He was a man who liked the company of the Lord but didn’t commit himself to the message. He was waiting for a miracle.

We spend a great deal of fruitless time waiting for just enough to satisfy. We wait for that new job that’s going to make everything work. We wait for a new spark in the marriage. We wait for circumstances to change so that our lives will improve. And we wait for miracles from God to fix it all. We wait. And we wait. And all the time, Jesus is saying, “Don’t you know me? Have I been here all this time and you still don’t see? If you had only invested yourself in a relationship with me, you would not be waiting. You would be celebrating. I’ve already shown you everything you needed to know. You just failed to act on it.”

Our religious culture today is no different than the religious culture of the first century. We all want miracles. Why? Because we aren’t content with the relationship Jesus offers. We want just that little bit more; that little bit that meets my need and fulfills my agenda. We still come to Jesus with our hands out, ready to take but not quite willing to give. The result is “not enough”. When my life is controlled by what satisfies me, there will never be enough, not even enough of God. Until I really embrace “it’s not about me”, I cannot be satisfied, even in the presence of Jesus.

“I just need enough”, you say. And Jesus answers, “You already have more than you need.” Is that what you think?