Throughout history, humanity has been captivated by the search for the ultimate prize. Spanish conquistadors scoured the Americas for El Dorado, the fabled City of Gold. Ponce de León died seeking the Fountain of Youth. Alexander the Great wept because there were no more worlds to conquer. Even today, we chase after health, wealth, success, and recognition, believing these will finally satisfy the deep longing in our hearts.
As Christians, we often bring this same treasure-hunting mentality to our relationship with God. We come to Him with our wish lists: perfect health, financial prosperity, obedient children, favor with people, and lives that somehow become easier because we’re following Jesus. We pray earnestly for these things, and when they don’t materialize the way we envision, we find ourselves confused, disappointed, or even angry with God.
But what if we’ve been looking for the wrong treasure all along?
The Only Guarantee
The uncomfortable truth is that God never promised us health, wealth, or earthly ease. The only guarantee He gives is Himself. He promises to be with us in this lifetime and to give us an eternal home with Him in Heaven. That’s it. That’s the promise.
My pastor, Mark Lindsey, once said something that stopped me in my tracks: “God’s answer to every prayer you pray is to give to you Himself.” At first, I didn’t fully grasp the profound weight of those words. But the more I’ve reflected on them, the more I realize this might be one of the most powerful truths I’ve ever encountered.
Obviously, it’s perfectly fine to pray for anything we want or need. God invites us to bring our requests to Him. The problem arises when we get upset or actually rebel because God doesn’t answer the way we want Him to. When our faith becomes conditional on receiving specific earthly gifts, we’ve missed the point entirely.
Living by Faith, Not by Sight
Scripture repeatedly emphasizes this principle: “The just shall live by faith.” This phrase appears four times in the Bible – in Habakkuk 2:4, Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11, and Hebrews 10:38. Each time, it reinforces the same crucial message: our relationship with God cannot be based on what He gives us beyond Himself.
If we’re only walking with God as long as He provides health, wealth, a certain job, or specific circumstances, then we’re not really walking by faith at all. We’re walking by sight, by what we can see and touch and benefit from. And in doing so, we’re ignoring the crucial point that what we already have – Almighty God Himself – is more wonderful than any earthly gift or advantage.
The Ultimate Relationship
When I was young and hoping to find “Mr. Right,” I would sometimes look at a married man and feel a pang of envy, wishing I were the one he had chosen. But it never took long for me to realize that everything good and attractive in that person was actually a reflection of qualities that exist perfectly in God – and as His child, I have full access to Him.
Consider the most appealing qualities we might wish for in another person, and you’ll find them beautifully displayed in biblical characters:
- Creativity – like Adam, who named all the animals
- Faithfulness – like Abraham
- Love despite rejection – like Leah
- Vision and leadership – like Joseph and Daniel
- Courage and military skill – like Joshua
- Powerful and athletic – like Samson
- Servanthood – like Ruth
- Muscian – like David
- Wisdom – like Solomon
- Sacrificial love – like Esther and the widow who gave her last two coins
- Humility – like Noah, who endured decades of mockery, and Joseph, who raised God’s Son as his own
- Loyal friendship – like the apostle John
The significance of this list is staggering: God’s character includes all these beautiful traits and abilities, and infinitely more! If someone thinks they’re missing out because “all” they have is a relationship with God, they are profoundly deceived.
The Treasure We Already Possess
Here’s the revolutionary truth: while explorers died seeking cities of gold and fountains of youth, while conquerors wept for lack of new worlds to dominate, we have already found the ultimate treasure. We who are born again into God’s family possess a relationship with the Creator of the universe, the source of all beauty, wisdom, love, and power.
Every earthly blessing we might receive is simply a bonus – a kind gift from a loving Father, but never the main event. The main event is God Himself, dwelling within us, walking beside us, and preparing an eternal home for us.
This doesn’t mean we become passive or stop caring about earthly concerns. It means we hold them with open hands, knowing that our security, identity, and deepest joy are found in the One who never changes, never leaves, and never disappoints.
When we truly grasp this truth, it transforms everything. Prayer becomes less about getting things from God and more about enjoying God. Trials become opportunities to discover that He really is enough. Success becomes a chance to thank the Giver rather than worship the gift.
The Greatest Discovery
The Spanish never found their City of Gold, but they were looking in the wrong place anyway. We who know Christ have discovered something far more precious than any earthly treasure: we have God Himself. In Him, we find every good thing our hearts could possibly desire, and so much more than we ever knew we needed.
The just shall live by faith – faith that recognizes the supreme value of what we’ve already been given. In a world still frantically searching for the next big thing, we can rest in the knowledge that we’ve already found the greatest treasure of all.
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Perhaps you’re wondering, “How? When my child dies, my spouse leaves me, or cancer strikes, how does a relationship with an invisible God help me?” The answer to that question is multi-faceted and very personal, but I will offer a few comments about it in my next blog: “Our Walk with God: Rediscovering Humanity’s Purpose.”
My Walking with God Series:
“A Precious Promise: God’s Greatest Gift” – this blog
“Our Walk with God: Rediscovering Humanity’s Purpose” – a follow-up to the previous blog, describing the incomparable wonder of walking with God
” ‘Hope Is the First Dose’: Recovering from Massive Tragedy” – a neurosurgeon’s story of loss, despair, and gradual, painful recovery
“When Walking with God Looks Like Washing Dishes” – how to develop a close, daily relationship with God
“When Walking with God Becomes Rewriting God: The Deconstruction Detour” – tragically, sometimes, instead of walking WITH God, people walk AWAY from Him
“Walking with the True God: Navigating the Sacred Path Without Losing Your Way” – when our zeal for God overflows, we must be sure we are walking with the true God, not a deceiving spirit
Here are links to my blog indexes, so please click one and keep reading!
My Books, Workbooks, and Fun Books
Knowing the Unknowable One
Opening the Treasure Chest
Walking Heart-to-Heart with God
Walking Heart-to-Heart with Each Other
Fighting the Good Fight of Faith
Christian Mysteries: Why I Love Them!
List of Some Nonfiction Books You Don’t Want to Miss
Index of Assorted Topics