Who Really Knows Best?
by Lenn Zeller, Volunteer Director of Conference Care
Do you remember the old, old TV show, “Father Knows Best”? It actually ran on NBC Radio from 1949 to 1954, and then on television from 1954 to 1960. The show portrayed the life of a Midwestern, middle class family, and starred Robert Young (as insurance salesman Jim Anderson) and June Whitley (Jane Wyatt on the TV version) as his wife. On the radio program, the character of the father was far more sarcastic, autocratic and derisive, often calling his children names and putting them down. For the television show, Jim’s character was softened to that of a thoughtful father who offered sage advice whenever one (or more) of his children had a problem.
In any case, the title itself became part of our proverbial language, at least back then. Father knows best… became part of our vernacular and was pretty much accepted as fact. Nowadays… not so much. Watch the TV shows of today and the father is much more likely to be portrayed as an incompetent, clueless oaf and the focus of much ridicule. My, how times have changed!
One thing has never changed, however… God is still the heavenly Father who knows best. His wisdom is eternal, unsearchable, infinite, and universal. He is the source of all knowledge, wisdom and truth.
Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are His.
He changes times and seasons; He sets up kings and deposes them.
He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.
He reveals deep and hidden things;
He knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with Him. (Daniel 2: 20–22 )
God the heavenly Father knows best. Wisdom and power are His. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. God reveals the deep and hidden things. So those who wish to be wise and discerning must turn to God and seek His truth, in all things, in all of life.
This is true in our relationships, in our homes, in our places of work and in our churches. Many of the battles that erupt in our congregations result from ignoring God’s wisdom and ways, and seeking our own. If we would just live together and treat one another the way He has commanded, we could avoid many of the conflicts that tear us apart. The New Testament epistles are replete with instructions concerning the fellowship of the saints in the body of Christ. (See 1 Thessalonians 5:11, Colossians 3:16, Ephesians 5: 1–21, 1 Corinthians 1:10, 1 Peter 2:17, 1 Peter 3:8, 1 John 1:7, etc.). This is God’s wisdom for how to live together in Christ. We depart from it to our own peril.
And then when we do stray from His path and fall into disputes and disunity, God offers His wisdom to show us how to deal with our differences properly and kindly, in a way that ultimately honors Him (Matthew 18:15–18, 2 Corinthians 2:5–11, Galatians 6:1–5, 2 Timothy 2:24–26, etc.). But once again, we too often prefer to handle things our own way, and we end up fanning the flame of the conflict, causing more harm than good. Rather than forgive as God has forgiven us, we strike back in anger, seeking revenge. Rather than overlook the offense, we attack in retaliation or we withdraw from fellowship in self-protective defensiveness. Rather than approach the person who has offended us directly, seeking to heal and reconcile, we launch a campaign of gossip or find ways to publicly denounce and defend ourselves. In the process, the cause of Christ is hindered.
God the Father knows best, and has given us profound, divine guidance for how to live together in love and how to heal the wounds when we fail. How much better would our relationships be and how much stronger our witness if we just followed God’s instructions and lived as He taught and modeled in Christ Jesus?
