Dreams Do Come True, but…
London's Piccadilly Circus, January 2016
Sometimes you have to work really hard for them to. Or, they might come to pass in a slightly different form than you planned. And sometimes, you gotta go out on a limb, take a risk, and trust that God is with you to bring that dream to pass.
This week I’m taking a detour from “relationships” to dreams. Next week I’ll pick up with the topic.
“He has a purpose for all that happens, and makes everything work out according to His plan.”
Do you recall in Genesis 37 where Joseph had not one, but 2 dreams? But, these were literal dreams. At that time Joseph didn’t understand the meaning of his prophetic dreams, and he was immature in how he went about sharing his dream to his family, but it was a dream nonetheless and it took some time from the time when Joseph dreamed, until the time when God gave him the position of Prime Minister of all of Egypt.
It took 20 years from the time that Samuel anointed David as the future king of Israel, until he actually became king of Judah, then later Israel.
It took Nehemiah 52 days to rebuild the destroyed city wall in Jerusalem.
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When I look at my life, it was my dream to return to Europe. Upon finishing my Masters in London I wanted to stay, but I was unsuccessful, and so I returned to Washington, DC to work for 2 years. And when God did let me return to Europe, He brought the dream to pass in a slightly different form than I wanted -> Berlin. Talk about a curveball. I never even desired to visit Germany, much less live here. Berlin has been filled with all kinds of challenges and uncertainties, but just this week, my dream that I had been waiting for, for 5 years came to pass. 5 long years. If I had known that in 2011 I would have died emotionally, but by waiting and trusting God, I am getting a clearer picture of how He often works. He’s truly long-suffering [patient], even in the process of how something comes about, God doesn’t rush things, and He likes to put His character of being patient into us- just like He did for Joseph, David, and Nehemiah.
And, God is faithful, but I have realized that His timing and plans are different from mine. And, what keeps me hopeful about my dreams is trust. I trust God Almighty that the burning desires He has put in me will come to pass at the right time. Maybe not in the form I envisioned, but they will they will always be for my best because He loves me. God. Time. Truth. Always with God, at the right time, truth about a dream will come to pass.
Joseph wasn’t ready for the truth of his dreams when he first had them. He was immature, he had never worked a day in his life, and he was arrogant. Being your father’s [Jacob] favorite son will do this to you. God had to humble him through prison time of being falsely accused of something he did not do AND the betrayal by his own brothers and the anger he felt from all of it.
“The king’s heart is like a stream of water directed by the Lord; He guides it wherever He pleases.”
David was young with little combat experience when Samuel anointed him. He needed to run for his life from King Saul and learn to rely on God, even when there were days that it didn’t seem like he would become king. If God had made him king at 16/17 years old, when Samuel anointed him, he would not have been able to handle the pressures of being a king, i.e. his own son Absolom trying to kill him later in life, other pressures like his sin with Bathsheba, as well as the politics of in fighting from court life.
“Even desires come from God: “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him.”
Nehemiah had a dream, a burning desire to restore the City of David by rebuilding the wall after the first Babylonian invasion. But, he had to experience the opposition and threats of Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the men from Ashdod to see that God was with him to make his dream come true, and to where God would get the glory.
When we have dreams the best thing to do is to take them to God, pray about them, and don’t stop praying about them. And God will direct us of who to get guidance from about pursuing those dream(s), as well as provide the right people, who at the right time will help us bring our dreams into fruition. It may time, but if we resolve to be patient, God will provide His absolute best for us!
“I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry.He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him.
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Happy Friday xx!