Bible on the Road – Surrender (Fiat)

“Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” Matthew 6:8

Written in the margin of my Bible, next to this sentence is the word ‘Fiat.’

Paired together, these words are very meaningful. At least to me. Let me share my thoughts and see if you agree.

How often do you come to God asking, begging, imploring and sometimes demanding something? Especially when the bottom falls out and things are at their lowest. You might even come to God in prayer first asking for help but as the days turn to weeks and then to months with no answer. As God ‘remains silent’ the ask goes through each of those ‘stages’ above. Until the soul is demanding God listen and answer. That was the evolution of my life when my daughter became ill. I turned to God in faith that He could and would answer my needs. Then, over the months with no miracle healing, my voice grew louder until I was screaming (at least spiritually). Then, when He still didn’t heal her, I drew back and slowly stopped praying. Not because I grew in trust but because I grew despondent.

A few months in to this time which I call my dark night, I found this verse. Most eyes go straight to the following prayer, but this time my eyes and heart locked on these words in Matthew 6:6. “for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”

It had been a few months, I had been warned that I lacked trust in God. I had started reading St. Faustina’s diary and the words “Jesus, I trust in You” we’re resonating but unclear. As I read Jesus’ words, red in my Bible, I was soul struck. Suddenly, I saw clearly what Jesus was saying (to me).

Before we knew if the illness, and even before she was conceived, the Father knew of our situation and need. He heard my calls for help. But, like the people in Egyptian slavery, God heard the cries and held back a response until the right time.

The right time for me was within this dark night.

It was then that I realized God knew our need, He knew our dire circumstances and despite the quiet response, He was listening to my prayers. His answer was the same it had been when Jesus came to my daughter and as when the Father and Jesus spoke to me. “Trust me..”

Today, a decade or more later, as I read these words, that moment of clarity is still so strong.

God the Father ‘knows what you need before you ask Him.” He knows the right path, the most direct path to deeper holiness. He knows what we need even when we don’t have a clue. And, the Father always answers appropriately.

That is when my trust in God burst forth from my soul. I lay before Him all my cares and needs and wants. All my fears and hopes and celebrations are His before they come to be known by me. I give everything to God through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, before I have them. So, when I pray, I come in Fiat, laying my trust at the feet of His Holy Throne, knowing that He knows what I need before I ask, before even I knew the need. I trust Him and in that prayer, give Him my praise.

So, when the times comes, be it big or small, good or bad, remember what Jesus said “your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” Bring Him praise instead of worry, praise in place of fear, fiat in place of ‘I need.’

Don’t forget Romans 8:26-27 – “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”