God’s compassion has a purpose. His love has a significance that goes beyond simply supplying our needs. I’ve seen God heal people of terminal sicknesses like cancer, but if Jesus doesn’t return soon, all of them will eventually die anyway. God isn’t going to continue restoring their bodies until they’re 462 years old, right?
Jesus answers our prayers so that we will ask him, “Who are you?” That’s the question that Jesus wants us to ask. We see it so many times in scripture.
“…A windstorm came down on the lake, and they [the boats] were filling with water and were in danger. And they [the disciples] went and woke him [Jesus], saying, ‘Master, Master, we are perishing!’ And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm. He said to them, ‘Where is your faith?’ And they were afraid, and they marveled, saying to one another, ‘Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?’” (Luke 8:23-25, ESV).
It’s not enough that Jesus provides miracles or heals us or answers our requests. Asking “Who is this?” marks the real beginning of our discipleship journey. We move from loving him for what he does for us to loving him for who he is.
Please hear me, I’m not saying that you ever ‘outgrow’ asking God to heal you or help you. Christianity isn’t a journey where you get mature enough and then stop asking God, “Will you restore this relationship? Will you bring someone I love to you? Will you heal my body of this illness?” We will still pray those prayers, but Jesus is inviting us to also ask, “Who are you? What are you like? Are you trustworthy in my current situation?”
Jesus is ultimately taking us to a place where we will finally hear him when he says, “I am.” He is love, justice, graciousness, mercy, the bread of life, the light of the world, the sustainer of our bodies, hearts and minds. He is the door to freedom, joy and a full life. He is all that we could ever desire.