Do you have dreams? Have you considered the possibility that these dreams may in fact be the will of God for your life…dreams He placed deep down inside your spirit? Maybe you don’t dream now, but you used to have dreams…dreams that once inspired you, but somehow you have given up on them.
When I was in kid I used to dream about being an actress. I took acting lessons, performed in theaters and participated in acting camps. I dreamed of being in movies one day. This passion drove me for years until I started to understand who God was and how much he loved me. As I grew closer to the Lord, my selfish dreams began to change. I started thinking less of myself and more about how God could use my outgoing personality and life experiences to speak into the lives of other people. I remember attending a women’s conference when I was 17 years old. As I sat in amazement at the wisdom, grace and conviction these women spoke with, I found myself dreaming of being used in this capacity. I was sitting in a room with a thousand other women, but I felt as if I was all alone in the presence of God as he told me that he had amazing plans for my life…that one day He would use me to make a difference in the lives of other women.
As the years passed, I pursued Bible College, got married, had children and focused on ministering to teenagers. I had forgotten about that moment in my life when I felt as if God had plucked me out of the crowd and spoke directly to me. I had been so focused on my own plans that I no longer remembered the dream that God had given me so many years ago. In recent years I have desired write about my life stories, but felt inadequate. English and grammar had always been my weakest subjects, so I added that dream to the listed entitled; far-fetched and ridiculous that would never be attained. That is until recently when I started sharing my passions with my very best friend. She encouraged me to start writing, make a blog, increase my time journaling, etc. That conversation brought back these dreams that God had given me. It helped me to remember what God had spoken over me, and made me hopeful that these things could actually happen.
This same thing happened to Abraham in the book of Genesis. His wife was barren, but God told him that he would have a son. He told Abraham that his offspring would be as numerous as the stars in the sky. For Abraham this dream was ridiculous because they were both beyond the childbearing age. Years went by and Abraham began to think that maybe his dream wasn’t entirely accurate. Since this dream seemed impossible, he made his own plans and decided to have a baby with his maidservant Hagar. The Lord came back to Abraham and told him that his wife Sarah, who was 90 years old, would give birth to the promised son in the next year. Both Abraham and Sarah laughed because of the impossibility, but within a year they gave birth to their son Isaac, and Abraham became the father of many nations.
Dreams are powerful! Each and every one of us has dreams that God has placed in our hearts. Maybe you have forgotten them…or maybe you have laughed at them. They usually seem impossible at first, but when we keep our focus on the Lord, we will eventually see our dreams become a reality. Have you stopped dreaming? Have you forgotten a dream from long ago? I encourage you to spend time asking God for renewed dreams…for Him to wake you up from focusing on today, and to inspire you to dream about tomorrow. Hebrews 10:23 says, “Let’s keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps His word.” (The Message)
