In Jeremiah 29:11 I read, “‘I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” (NIV)
Dreaming plays an essential role in developing my faith and helping me become the kind of person God made me to be. There’s an important connection between dreaming and believing, between my imagination and my growth. Without a dream, I’ll get stuck. But with God-inspired dreams, I have almost limitless possibilities.
My dreams will profoundly shape my identity, happiness, achievements, and fulfillment. But God-inspired dreaming offers far more than just these benefits. Dreaming has eternal implications too.
Dreaming will always be the first step in the process God uses to change my life for the better. Everything starts as a dream!
In many ways, a great dream is a statement of faith. I’m saying, “I believe that things can change and can be different, and I believe that God will enable me to accomplish it.” When I trust God, it always makes him happy.
The Bible says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Hebrews 11:6 NIV).
Dreaming is the step that gets the ball rolling. It is a catalyst for personal change. And it’s those internal changes that God is most concerned about; they will prepare me for life with him in eternity.
So first, God gives me a dream for my life. Then, I have to make a decision about it. The third stage is delay, where I wait for God to work in his time. The next stage is difficulty, where God tests me. Then, I might even reach a dead end, which will make me want to give up. But in the end, God always brings deliverance to me, the final stage of his six phases of faith.
Over the next few quiet times, I’ll be looking at this process that God uses to grow my faith and develop my character. This faith-building process is illustrated over and over in the lives of people in the Bible. And it will be repeated over and over in my life as God moves me toward spiritual and emotional maturity.
I will find no greater fulfillment than when I’m doing what God created me to do. Pursuing God’s dream for my life won’t be easy, and it won’t be quick—but it will be worth it.
It's easy to be encouraged by a leader who stirs me to move ahead, someone who believes I can do the task given to me and who will be with me all the way. God is that kind of leader. He knows my future, and his plans for me are good and full of hope. As long as God, who knows the future, provides my agenda and goes with me as I fulfill his mission, I can have boundless hope. This doesn't mean that I will be spared pain, suffering, or hardship, but that God will see me through to a glorious conclusion.
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