Some time in our lives—maybe today—we find ourselves searching, thirsting, wishing and looking for the “right stuff.” We yearn for the stuff that will fill the hole in our hearts and our lives.

Jesus knew all about that yearning. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled,” He promised (Matthew 5:6). But for most people, that seems a bit ethereal. In the real world, how can you take that to the bank?

The Millionaire

Have you ever daydreamed about what it would be like to actually win the lottery, to suddenly become a megamillionaire?

As a kid, I remember an old late ’50s show called something like The Millionaire. As a boy, I would drop my toys and anything else, and slide into “home plate” in front of the small black-and-white TV just in time to watch this show. Each episode, a person in a bind would receive a million dollars from an anonymous donor, and this was the gateway to a chance at real happiness. (Remember, when I was a boy, a million was worth many, many times more than today.)

Sounds like today and the modern mega lottery winners! But if you caught the recent TV show that interviewed many of the big winners, you heard that even these winners said that money couldn’t buy them happiness. Oh, baby, it could buy them many things, but soon the emptiness came back.

Have you ever daydreamed about what it would be like to actually win the lottery, to suddenly become a megamillionaire? When you fantasize about something, whether it’s your dream job, getting the girl or guy or that ideal car or home, the dream is usually better than the way it turns out in real life. As those lottery winners discovered, when your dream comes true, it’s generally not as exciting as you thought it would be.

The woman at the well

The desire for real fulfillment in life knows no national boundaries. While traveling through Samaria, Jesus met a woman who was searching and thirsting without really knowing what she was looking for. He promised her “water” that would truly quench her spiritual thirst and lead to eternal life (John 4:13-14)!

Like the woman Jesus met at the well in Samaria, we are looking for someone or something to meet the deepest needs of our lives. We are on a search for fulfillment. But there is simply no person and no thing on this earth that will meet our deepest need. We truly can be like the old song, “Looking for love [or fulfillment or significance] in all the wrong places.”

You see, one of the reasons we keep coming up empty, one of the reasons these things don’t satisfy, is that we were created to know God. God put a hole in each one of us, and only God can fill a God-made hole. We were created to have a relationship with the One who made us. Therefore, all these other things sparkle and shine and seem to be magical, but they are just cheap substitutes. They will never measure up.

God Himself will get to the heart of your problems. God Himself will fill that void in your life. Look for love in the right place—the real jackpot—and let God fill the hole in your heart. You will be glad you did.