Dreaming with the Dream Giver
Do you ever have dreams? Or am I the only one who gets weird dreams about my teeth falling out or walking in public places with no shoes on, after eating cereal before I go to bed?
God sometimes communicates with His people and even chooses to reveal His plans through dreams like He did with Joseph (Genesis 37:5-11). To be clear, I don’t think that those stress dreams I’ve had were God’s way of speaking to me but regardless, the Scriptures show us time and time again God using dreams or other forms of communication as a means to guide the lives of His people.
Maybe God has spoken to you through an actual dream before about specific things He wants to do in and through your life. For many of us, this is probably not the case but I still think the dream-giver wants us to come along side him and with faith dream up awesome things.
Have you ever dreamed with the dream-giver about things you’d like to see Him do? I believe God gives us dreams, goals, passions, desires, and burdens that we carry with us day to day. Maybe you received them through your time in prayer, in the Word, by a prohetic word, or trusted leaders and people in your life who have encouraged and confirmed your giftings to share with others.
“The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.”
- Helen Keller
We don’t always realize our dreams (or lack there of dreams) impact how we live and spend our time right now. The lack of obedience to God’s Word and His vision for one’s life leads to poor results and an aimless life (Proverbs 29:18).
As God’s people we are called to flourish, do creative things, have careers, families, ministries, and accomplish wonderful things. But our plans, vision, and motive behind accomplishing these dreams we have must be for the purpose of His glory.
Let’s not miss the point behind why God gives us dreams and burdens like He did in Joseph’s story. Being young and having some maturing to do, Joseph didn’t see the whole story yet. Joseph was unaware of the whole journey he was to endure before he crossed the finish line and saw the dream fulfilled. With eagerness and excitement and without the full vision, Joseph had a bit of a selfish and arragoant perspective, leading him to speak up and tell everyone a little too soon.
God invites messy people into His story
God chose to accomplish something through Joseph not because he deserved it, but because in His sovereignty, God wanted to. Jesus saves messy sinners and invites us into His grand story. Joseph played a small part in the overarching greater story of Jesus, the promised Messiah, who would eventually be born into Joseph’s family line. Joseph instrumentally saved his family from a famine, including his brother Judah- the family line that Jesus was born into. Though Joseph had a big dream he longed to see fulfilled, Joseph is not the main character here, Jesus is.
When Jesus welcomes us into His Kingdom, we get to personally walk out our days with Him. In relationship with Him, He has His sovereign hand over your life. Of course we are all called to enjoy and glorify Him but as He invites you into His story He will have specific things for you. He doesn’t just call messy people into His story, but in His love, changes them to look more like Christ.
God changes us throughout the journey
Joseph’s dream didn't come to pass for several decades. Could you imagine being in his shoes? Did he question if he actually heard from God? Did he wonder if he did anything to ruin the dream he was given? Did he experience doubt, fear, or depression?
“The point of a dream isn’t to tell you what’s going to happen in the future; it's to tell you how to live in the present.”
- John Mark Comer
From the bratty Joseph to the humble Joseph… a lot went down. Joseph’s journey held the unexpected and many of times it appeared hopeless before the dream was actually accomplished. Through these ups and downs, Joseph was humbled, maturity was produced within him, he saw God with and for him in the hard times, and found that God was to get the glory and honor through it all.
Along the path, God will put His finger upon things that He is looking to deal with, whether it be to heal, redeem, restore, or change in you. He will transform you to reflect the beauty of Christ, if you seek Him. Are we so focused on the dream being accomplished that we forget to look to the dream-giver and ask Him what He is seeking to accomplish in us?
Some want to help others heal, but first need to receive healing themselves.
Some are looking to teach others but haven’t been willing to be taught first. They want to master the Word but not first be mastered by it.
Some desire to be married but haven’t even selflessly served God or the church, or formed an understanding that marriage is about submitting and laying down one’s life.
Some see themselves one day in positions of power or leadership but have refused to let God be Lord over their lives and haven’t learned that to lead is to actually serve others- not be served.
How is God seeking to mature you along the journey to the dream being fulfilled?
If we walk out this life abiding in Him, we learn to love the dream-giver more than the dream. When we run to Him in every situation, He will sustain us to continue on the narrow path He has for us. Jesus is the end goal of this journey - not the beautiful things He may call us to be part of - and He will personally teach us this as we look to Him instead of ourselves. Our hope, contentment, satisfaction, and identity; are not meant to be found in a dream being accomplished but are freely given to us in Christ. Therefore, from this perspective, we get to enjoy Christ relationally and respond to what has been given to us, trusting Him to help us to accomplish the dreams He’s given us, in His perfect timing.
Our prayer along the journey should be “You are the potter, I am the clay. No matter how this ends, I have all that I need in you. I may not know how or when this is going to turn out, but I know that I can trust a good God who is faithful even when I’m faithless. I submit my heart to rest in you Lord and yield to your leadership for it is you who will finish what you’ve started.”
God faithfully finishes what he starts
“You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.”
-Genesis 50:20 NLT
In Joseph’s story, as well as in the overaching story of the Bible, we see God being faithful to bring good from evil. Using circumstances that make no sense through the lives of broken and weak people to display His power and strength. A God that takes dead things and brings them to life. If you are feeling weak, broken, discouraged, or hopeless on your journey- please do not throw in the towel. Don’t grow weary from doing good. God wants us to dream with him, step out and co-labor by the power of the Holy Spirit to work in and through us for His Kingdom to be expanded. He will do something fruitful that will touch generations through your obedience to dream big and do difficult things with Him.
Some of you reading have never dreamed with God or asked Him what He wants to do specifically with your life for His glory.
Some of you reading have had dreams that have laid dormant that you need to begin to pray about and take intentional steps to be faithful with what He has given you to steward.
Maybe some of you have waited a very long time and haven’t seen those dreams accomplished and now you’re feeling weary and burnt out because you've been placing your heart’s affections and hope in the dream coming to pass instead of the presence of Jesus.
Let’s be eager to spend time with Him and remind our hearts who God is and that He is with us. Let’s lay these dreams in His hands, receive what we need in His presence, and yield to His guidance. Don’t lose hope in the dream-giver as He accomplishes much grander things that you can dream up on your own. Be reminded, God is moving on your behalf, using all things for good, and will remain faithful to finish what He’s started all while beautifully bringing glory to His name.
“And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”-Philippians 1:6 NLT