Have you ever stopped to really think about the streets of gold in heaven?
Not just as a nice mental picture, but what it actually reveals about God’s heart and His abundance?
Recently, I was talking with Linda about this, and it hit me in a fresh way that completely transformed how I view God’s provision.
Here’s the mind-blowing part: According to Revelation 21, the streets of the New Jerusalem are paved with pure gold.
Someone actually did the math on this (because who doesn’t love a good spreadsheet?) and calculated that the gold in just the streets alone would be worth approximately 67 quintillion dollars – or about 4 million times the entire US GDP.
Let that sink in for a moment.
The very thing we fight wars over here on earth – the precious metal we carefully store in vaults and trade as a symbol of wealth – is literally what we’ll be walking on in heaven.
It’s relegated to simple pavement!
This reveals something profound about God’s kingdom: There is no scarcity there.
The things we desperately chase and hoard here are so abundant there that they’re used for street material.
But here’s where this really hits home for me: If we serve a God whose kingdom has streets worth 4 million times more than the richest nation on earth has ever produced…
Why do we doubt His ability or willingness to provide for our daily needs?
As A.W. Tozer said, the most important thing about us is what we believe about God.
- Do we really believe He’s up in heaven wringing His hands, wondering how He’ll manage to help us pay our bills?
- Do we think we need to beg and plead to get His attention or convince Him to meet our needs?
The streets of gold paint a picture of a God of unlimited resources and abundant provision.
They remind us that our Father owns the cattle on a thousand hills (Psalm 50:10) – and that’s just His ranch animals!
His wealth and resources are literally immeasurable.
This isn’t to minimize the very real financial challenges many of us face.
But it should radically shift our perspective on them.
We’re not serving a God of scarcity who’s trying to figure out how to move limited funds around.
We serve the God of abundance who has promised to provide all our needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).
The next time you’re tempted to worry about provision, remember this:
The stuff we desperately chase here is literally pavement material in God’s kingdom.
That’s the God we serve – the One who promises to care for us, provide for us, and meet our every need.
Maybe it’s time we started living like we believe that.
What would change in your life if you really believed – deep in your bones – that you serve a God of this kind of abundance?
This perspective has transformed how I view money, provision, and God’s heart toward us. I pray it does the same for you.
Your friend and coach,
