Stop Chasing Rainbows: Seek the Source

There are things in this world that feel incredibly real.

The money in our bank account feels real. The house we live in feels real. Our possessions feel real. Success feels real. The problems sitting in front of us certainly feel real.

We can see them. Touch them. Measure them. Lose them.

Because of that, we naturally begin believing that these are the things that matter most.

But Scripture gives us a completely different perspective.

“While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”— 2 Corinthians 4:18 NKJV

Think about what Paul is saying.

Everything we can see around us is temporary.

The things we spend so much energy acquiring, protecting, worrying about, comparing and pursuing will eventually disappear.

Yet somehow, we spend much of our lives chasing the temporary while giving what is eternal whatever time we have left over.

Chasing a Rainbow

I was thinking about a rainbow.

A rainbow can look almost physical. You can see its colors stretching across the sky. Sometimes it can even appear as though the end of it is sitting right there in front of you.

But try reaching it.

Start walking toward the end of the rainbow, and you will never arrive.

You could exhaust yourself chasing something that continually remains beyond your reach.

And isn't that a picture of how many of us live?

Just a little more money.

Just a little more success.

Just a little more recognition.

Just one more accomplishment.

Just get through this next season.

Then I'll be satisfied.

Then I'll have peace.

Then I'll be happy.

Then I'll finally feel like I've made it.

But somehow the rainbow keeps moving.

We reach the place we thought would satisfy us, only to discover another rainbow farther down the road.

What Actually Makes the Rainbow?

Here is where the picture becomes interesting.

Instead of chasing the rainbow, consider what allows us to see one in the first place.

Light.

Water.

When light interacts with water droplets in the atmosphere, the light is refracted, reflected and dispersed into the colors we see.

And while the rainbow itself may be beautiful, the rainbow isn't what sustains life.

Water does.

Light does.

The rainbow gets our attention.

But the things producing it are what actually bring life.

And I wonder how often we do the opposite spiritually.

We chase after the visible evidence of God's goodness instead of seeking God Himself.

Even God's Promises Can Become Our Rainbow

The rainbow has an important place in Scripture.

After the flood, God told Noah:

“I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth.”— Genesis 9:13 NKJV

Notice what the rainbow was.

A sign.

The rainbow wasn't God.

The rainbow wasn't even the covenant-maker.

It pointed toward the faithfulness of the One who made the covenant.

There is nothing wrong with believing God's promises. We absolutely should.

But there is a difference between trusting God's promises and making God's promises the object of our pursuit.

We can become so consumed with what we're asking God to do that we stop seeking God Himself.

We want the healing.

We want the provision.

We want the breakthrough.

We want the ministry to grow.

We want the relationship restored.

We want the prayer answered.

We want the promise fulfilled.

Those things aren't necessarily wrong.

But what happens when we want what is in God's hand more than we want God?

We have started chasing the rainbow.

Jesus Saw This Happen

In John 6, Jesus miraculously fed thousands of people.

The next day, people came looking for Him.

That sounds wonderful at first.

People were seeking Jesus!

Except Jesus exposed something deeper:

“Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.”— John 6:26 NKJV

They were following Jesus, but Jesus knew what they were actually chasing.

The bread.

They had experienced the provision and came looking for more provision.

Jesus redirected their attention from what He could give them toward who He was.

“I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.”— John 6:35 NKJV

In other words:

Stop chasing the bread and recognize the One standing in front of you.

The Water and the Light

Jesus told the woman at the well:

“Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst.”— John 4:14 NKJV

Later Jesus cried out:

“If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.”— John 7:37 NKJV

John tells us that Jesus was speaking concerning the Holy Spirit.

And Jesus also declared:

“I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”— John 8:12 NKJV

There is something beautiful here.

Water.

Light.

Life.

Instead of exhausting ourselves chasing rainbows, Jesus continually invites us back to the Source.

Come to Me.

What Are You Actually Seeking?

This is a question I have to ask myself too.

What am I actually seeking?

Do I want God—or simply what I believe God can give me?

Would I still worship if the prayer isn't answered the way I want?

Would I still follow if the ministry doesn't grow the way I imagined?

Would I still trust Him if the financial breakthrough doesn't happen on my timetable?

Would I still call Him good when the rainbow I have been chasing disappears?

Those questions reveal something about our hearts.

Because faith isn't ultimately confidence that God will give me everything I want.

Faith is confidence in God Himself.

That changes everything.

Seek First

Jesus gave us the answer plainly:

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”— Matthew 6:33 NKJV

Notice the order.

Jesus didn't tell us to seek “all these things.”

He told us to seek the Kingdom.

Yet so often we reverse it.

We spend our lives seeking “all these things” and then ask God to bless the pursuit.

Jesus invites us into something better.

Seek Him first.

Trust Him with the rest.

Stop chasing what keeps moving farther down the horizon.

Stop believing that the next possession, accomplishment, paycheck, relationship, breakthrough or answered prayer will finally satisfy the thirst inside you.

Come back to the water.

Come back to the light.

Come back to Jesus.

Let the Rainbow Happen

Maybe this is where our perspective needs to change.

Don't spend your life having faith for a rainbow.

Have faith in the God who makes the rainbow possible.

Because when God becomes the treasure, His blessings no longer have to carry the impossible burden of satisfying our souls.

We can enjoy them without worshiping them.

We can receive them without needing them to define us.

We can lose temporary things without losing our foundation.

And when God gives us a sign of His faithfulness, we can stop and admire its beauty without feeling the need to chase it.

The rainbow was never meant to become our god. It was meant to remind us of God.

So maybe today we need to stop running.

Stop chasing the temporary.

Stop exhausting ourselves trying to reach another rainbow.

Seek the Source.

Drink from the living water.

Walk in the Light.

Seek first His Kingdom.

And when the rainbows appear along the journey, thank God for them.

But keep following Him.

Because the things we see are temporary.

The One we cannot see is eternal.

Pastor Scott