God’s dreams for us

Have you ever heard the song, “The Impossible Dream” from the musical Man of La Mancha? Even if you have never heard the song or seen the musical, you probably can relate to the idea of having an impossible dream. You thought, “What if this or that would happen?” But then you stepped back and thought, “Nope. That’s impossible.” But then in the Scriptures we keep hearing reminders that with God all things are possible. Indeed they are. But it is also true that dreams are fulfilled when they are God’s dreams for us.

Have you ever thought of things that way, that God, like any good parent, has dreams and aspirations for His children? When we pray, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” we could think of it as asking our heavenly Father, “What are Your dreams for me? What have You equipped me to do in loving service to You and others?” In our sinfulness, our dreams for ourselves usually begin with, “What would I want to have happen in my life that would make me happy?”

One of the things the Holy Spirit does in His work of sanctification is to conform our will to God’s will, working in us through Word and Sacrament to go from self-centered to Christ-centered so that our prayer is always, “What is Your will for me in this situation?” In short, the Holy Spirit works in us the desire to follow our Lord and delight in His leading rather than us wanting God to follow our lead.

As that happens, we find that our enjoyment of life increases and what we dream about also changes. Oh, we might still daydream about coming into a lot of money or having the perfect job, but then we also start dreaming about how God would use those things not just as a blessing for us, but also for others. What is more, we might find that the Lord gives us new dreams that we would have never contemplated before. And when they are God’s dreams for us and we are joyfully submissive to His lead, we find that they are no longer dreams but become reality for a God for whom all things are possible.