More than a Midas touch

Ever heard the expression “everything she touches turns to gold”?

I’d guess this is based on the famous King Midas, who’s remembered in Greek mythology for his ability to turn everything he touched into gold. This was reflected in later phrases the Golden touch, or the Midas touch.

When we say someone has the Midas touch, we’re meaning they always seem to have success in life, seemingly producing profitable, enviable results in everything they do.

I wonder if we were to describe God this way – that everything He touched turned to gold?

It would certainly be accurate to say that God is ‘gold’ already. He is the beginning and the end of this world. He created all things. His price, worth and value certainly can’t be measured by human hands. And the biggest cost to Him was in sending his one and only Son into the world so we wouldn’t have to pay the price for rejecting Him and going our own way (John 3:16). He is abundant in his generosity, offering his beloved children innumerable spiritual treasures…

But getting back to the Midas analogy…

Sometimes I wish everything God touched in my life would turn to gold. I wish a touch, or a word, from God would instantly end my struggles with temptation and selfishness and poor self-control. That God would just make everything easy, and wonderful, and happy.

If only it were that simple.

Sometimes God does amazing miracles – and He certainly answers prayers in incredible ways. A relationship with Him brings so much joy!

But we know we’ll continue to struggle with sin and suffering as long as we’re in this very human, broken world. For as long as there’s a tempter (Satan) trying to convince us that his way is better than God’s.

But while God is the gold – the perfect one – and becoming His friend won’t immediately make us perfect, his goodness will certainly rub off on our lives when we allow Him to do His work.

Consider how gold is refined. In this process the metallurgist works on recovering gold to its pure state so that the end product is free from impurities.

I like to think of God as a divine metallurgist who is shaping me and moulding me through the trials of my life – so that as I grow and change to be more like Him, people won’t see me – but the one who’s been working on me.

I am slowly being refined by His love, and one day I will be perfect. Just not this side of heaven. The day I meet Him face to face I will become the most beautiful, ideal version of me, reflecting His glory. I’ll be completely refined by Jesus – not by any good things I’ve done.

Struggling with sin is hard. Dealing with tragedy and heartache is even harder.

But let’s never forget that God has His hands on us through it all. He knows the end result, even though it might feel like it’s too much to bear. His arms are around you. Around me.

Zechariah 13:9 says:

“I will bring [them] through the fire and make them pure.

I will refine them like silver and purify them like gold.

They will call on my name, and I will answer them.

I will say, ‘These are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.’”

And in 1 Corinthians 13:12 (NLT):

“Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror – but then we will see everything with perfect clarity.

All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.”