“Philip said to Him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.’” John 14:8

Show Us the Father – Part 1

I am hopelessly curious. I want to hear your stories. I want to see Noah’s ark, the original tabernacle, and the Garden of Eden. I want to know what God has put in the ocean depths, and the fruits of all the scattered islands, and how ants can carry many times their weight.

I understand what Philip is saying in our Scripture. “Jesus, give us just the teensiest glimpse of Your Father. That’s all we need. Then everything will be fine. Just do this one thing, and we’ll never need anything else.” Philip obviously was struggling to grasp the fact that since he’d seen Jesus, he’d seen the Father.

But what it makes me think of is how I want to never be satisfied with what I’ve already seen and known of the Father, as if that is all there is to Him. There is always so much more to know of Him! If He were small enough to be completely known, He wouldn’t be big enough to be God. If I’ve already experienced all I can experience of Him, then I must be at the end of my life.

I don’t ever want to quit looking for Him in all the hidden places, peoples and events of this life. He manifests and reveals His work, His love, and His glory, both day and night—and if we seek Him, we’ll find Him.

I want God more than anything. “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?” (Psalm 42:2) “Appear before God” is also translated “see the face of God.” I’m thirsty for God; when will I see His face? These words of David are like Philip’s: My thirst will be satisfied when I see the Father.

What I’ve already seen and perceived of Him is not all there is of Him. Creation and beauty isn’t all there is. Seeing a miracle isn’t all there is. Any one experience with God, or even a thousand experiences, isn’t all there is. He is infinite. Eternal. Without limits. Glorious. Wholly unlike anything mortal, anything created, anything in the visible realm. We will never fully plumb His depths in this life. Truly, He is above and beyond.

Yes, it is “enough” that we know Him at all. There is an explanation-defying satisfaction that is ours when we know the Father, yet our hunger and thirst for Him only grow stronger, because the Holy Spirit drives us on to know Him more.

“Father, thank You for the myriad ways You have revealed Yourself; yet we desire to see You more. May tomorrow’s desire for You be more than today’s. We pray in the holy, perfect, and powerful Name of Your Son, Who revealed You to us. Amen.”