Special Treasures of God

A group of friends share reflections on what they value about God and His place in their lives.

Question: Would you share one thing that you know about God that you consider a special treasure?

A: “One trait I’m most appreciative of is God’s generosity. One of His greatest desires is to bring many sons to glory, and He lets us have a glimpse of that joy each time we witness a child being born. By sharing in that experience we can better understand His great love for all of us.” KT

A: “God called my mother when I was a very young child, but not my physical father. All girls need a father and though mine provided for my physical needs, he could not provide the spiritual needs and guidance. God became My Father and that is how I think of Him. I’m not sure how to describe this ‘connection,’ but He belongs to me as much as I belong to Him. He provides, guides, corrects but most importantly He gives a Father’s perfect love to an imperfect ‘child.’ My Father is the valuable treasure.” ST

A: “I treasure the knowledge of God’s faithfulness. His Word preserves so many examples of promises made and kept. We see His faithfulness in both small, personal matters and in prophecies fulfilled over millennia. The assurance of God’s faithfulness and His promise to complete the work He began in me provide comfort and courage.” SS

A: “One of the many attributes of our great Father that I treasure is His constant availability and attentiveness. I grew up in a busy, noisy house with seven siblings. My dad was only home for two to three days at a time, and then gone again for another couple of weeks. Needless to say, when he was home there was much clamoring for his time and attention. Mom had to shoo us away now and then to grab up a small portion of some much-needed grown-up time and conversation with her husband.

“Dad died when I was 14, and with him went any hope of having a meaningful, one-on-one conversation with him. I see my Heavenly Father as the only Father I have ever really known. He hears billions of people at any given moment, yet, when I approach Him, I know He hears my every word. I don’t have to clamor for His attention. When I kneel down and call out to Him, ‘Father?’ I picture Him on His throne, turning in my direction and leaning in to listen.” JB

A: “The first treasure that comes to my mind is forgiveness. When I look back on my life—turning my back on God to try ‘Brand-X’ for 17 years, and He called me back to Himself and forgave me my sins and continues to forgive me daily as I keep repeating the same mistakes—[I see that forgiveness] is ‘a pearl of great price’ for me.” KS

A: “The most important thing I know about God is that He will see me through all my trials to the end of this life. I have a tendency to worry and to focus on my current problems until they drive me to distraction. Sometimes I go through trials that leave me feeling so broken that I feel like I don’t even know who I am anymore. In those times, there are three hymns I sing to remind myself of all that God is willing to do for me: ‘My Shepherd Will Supply My Need,’ ‘Be Now My Vision’ and ‘God Will See Us Through.’ I rely on the promise that, even though I can’t see what’s ahead of me, why I’m suffering what I’m suffering, or who I’m becoming as a result of it, God does. He is my vision, and He keeps my eyes lifted to the Kingdom.

“Even in my moments of most intense pain, I try to remember that sometimes God has to break us in order to rebuild us better than we were. If I can be sure that He will put me through the refining fire in this life, then I can also be certain that He won’t leave me there. He’ll see me through it and make sure that I have all I need to overcome this world. Knowing that, I can find the strength to press on toward the final goal.” LW

A: “This past year my life changed. My father died suddenly and unexpectedly from a massive heart attack. My whole life my dad was my example of who God is. He led me to God because of the right relationship I had with him.

“After his death, God being my Father became much more real to me than when my dad was alive. I go to Him for everything now. I talk with Him when I would have called Dad for advice; I talk to Him when I figure something out in the Bible or [about] life in general. I ask Him for all the things that I would have called my dad to ask for.

“You know what? God answers me. Every time. He holds my heart in His hands; He carries me; He strengthens me and shows me that He is my Father always. I am a daddy’s girl through and through—not just my physical father’s anymore, but also my spiritual Father’s too. For that I am so thankful.” ALW

Feel free to add your answer to the question on the www.Facebook.com/cogwa page.