Dream Day

God is our whole basis for a faith that dreams; for hoping in the God of Creation to accomplish things in our lives and around our lives that only He can. The prophet Jeremiah conveyed God’s promise to countrymen held captive in Babylon:

When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. Jeremiah 29.10

This is God’s promise. For the Jewish captives bound by Babylonian kings, God promised a future, a hope, plans for welfare, which could not be erased by 70 years of captivity or the painful regret for the sins of previous generations. Reflecting on that promise fulfilled 70 years later, one of the Psalmists wrote, “When the Lord brought back the captivity of Zion, We were like those who dream. Then our mouth was filled with laughter, And our tongue with singing. Then they said among the nations, ‘The Lord has done great things for them.'” Psalms 126.1–2.

It was Dream Day. God fulfilled what He promised. The Psalmist witnessed the dream fulfilled, but dreams are there for us to trust and exercise our faith towards today. It is the goodness and the power of God that invites our faith to embrace His dream.

I think most of God’s dreams for us are true for every Christ-follower; forgiveness and reconciliation with God through Christ, belonging to God’s family, a transformed life; however, He also designs and fulfills them, uniquely and personally. Take note of Ephesians 2.10…

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2.10

God has carefully crafted each of us in certain ways for specific roles that no one else can fill. Let’s not miss perhaps the most important step. We begin to discover our dreams, by discovering God. He knows the plans. He declares the promise.

But dreams alone do not chart our paths toward their fulfillment. Your direction does. Andy Stanley calls this the principle of the path. Direction, not intention, determines destination. The right direction – not intentions, not hopes, not even dreams – determines destination.

For example, you can make your reservations this week for a week in North Myrtle this Summer. You can plan and budget for it. You might buy a new bathing suit or some fishing tackle. So, you pack up your clothes, your beach chairs. You can’t wait to lock the door to your home and hit the road. However, when you see Interstate 40, you go west instead of east. I-40 West can take you to some memorable places; the mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee, Arizona and the Grand Canyon, and you can get to the Beach, but only after you turn off in Barstow, California and find something near Los Angeles or San Diego. You’re still 2600 miles from the condo you reserved in North Myrtle. The right direction, not good intentions, get you to your vacation at North Myrtle Beach.

Most everyone dreams of something. Everyone is on a journey somewhere. It might be to a new place in your finances or your career or a relationship, but just because you have the dream doesn’t mean you automatically qualify for the destination. We must take the right path.

What was the path for the Jewish captives in Babylon?

Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29.12–13

Two chapters later, Jeremiah offered counsel to help them confirm their path to Dream Day.

Set up signposts, make landmarks; Set your heart toward the highway, The way in which you went. Turn back, O virgin of Israel, Turn back to these your cities. Jeremiah 31.21

A worshipping heart discerns the right direction. Put your heart on the road. Ask yourself, “Does this please God? Is this direction the result of His counsel or am I taking the way I perceive to be convenient or easy or popular?”

Nothing is too difficult for Him and nothing is too far gone for you. Put your heart on the road of His counsel. Seek after Him with all of your heart.

• What is Dream Day for you? For your family?
• What are some of the destinations you’re pursuing in your life? Career? Finances? 
Marriage and Family? Relationships?
• How consistent is your path to your destination? Where do you see it headed?

God fulfills the promise of a dream for people of faith, who seek Him with all of their heart. I believe God will fulfill His dream for each one of us if we pursue Him passionately, listen carefully, and walk courageously in the direction He leads.