I once heard Oprah Winfrey say, “God has bigger dreams than you have for yourself.” For some reason, that statement sparked something in me that I have not been able to shake off. I have known that God wants to use me, no doubt, however, something about “God has bigger dreams that you have for yourself” did something for me. A few months later, one of my professors, while teaching in class said, “God is dreaming through you.” That did it for me-my quest for needing to know what God is dreaming through me and how He will fulfill those dreams has been my passion.
I believe each one of us has a dream. One of my greatest dreams was to come to the USA to go to school and I remember telling God, “If you open doors for me to go to America, I will believe you for ANYTHING and it will come to pass;” I will have to live with that confession because God knows I have had my share of struggle when it comes to believing Him for anything! A week in the States would have satisfied my curiosity of believing in my dream-11 years later and counting, I am still in awe at how God “came through.”
Being a sports fanatic, I have dreams I want to see fulfilled (Going to an NFL, NBA, MLB game…preferably to all games of my favorite teams). The list can go and on. I remember when my friend surprised me and took me to an NBA game, I was ecstatic. At my age, you would have thought I was 3 years old who had just been given the best candy in the world. The excitement, the atmosphere, seeing the players at American Airlines in Dallas, Texas was amazing. I could not believe this was happening. My NBA dream was realized...well, a part of it because I am believing to go to an NBA finals game.
What I have described above are dreams that in the long run do not have an effect on eternity (other than the plans that God has revealed and allowed me to walk in while living in the USA). God is awesome in that He honors our dreams, from the smallest non-essentials, I call them, to the greatest essentials. Therefore, if He can honor our dreams that are “non-essentials,” how much more does He have dreams in Him for us that He wants to see fulfilled that have eternal value?
The first glimpse we see of God dreaming bigger dreams for us is when He declares, “I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out; plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.” (Jeremiah 29:11-The Message Bible). God’s dreams for us are centered on purpose that translates to eternity, which brings about fulfillment.
What kind of dreams does God dream through us?
¨ Being the instruments that He will use to bring men and women to the saving grace of God:
“How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, ‘HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS.” (Romans 10: 14-15 NRS)
¨ Being instruments who will see people who are bound, heart broken, prisoners in the spirit, being set free from the bondage of Satan:
“…He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed. To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.” (Luke 18-19 NRS)
¨ Being instruments He will use to see the fabric of our society flourish and become what it was meant to be and not be destroyed by lawlessness and disobedience:
“…You see the bad situation we are in, that Jerusalem (you can replace it with your own city name) is desolate (physically and spiritually) and its gates burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem so that we will no longer be a reproach.” (Nehemiah 2:17 NRS)
¨ Being instruments He will use to bless people in every way imaginable, from the least act of service to the greatest act of service:
“And I will make you a great nation, and I will you and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessings; and I will bless those you bless…and in you all families of the earth will be blessed.” (Genesis 12: 2-3 NRS)
Two dreamers come to mind when I think of men and women who allowed themselves to dream on behalf of God; Martin Luther King Jr. and Mother Theresa.
Martin Luther King Jr., a civil right’s activist, known also for his, “I have a dream” speech dreamed of a different kind of America for his Children for America: An excerpt from the speech:
“…Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends. And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream…I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight…”
Mother Theresa also dreamed:
"We, the unwilling, led by the unknowing, are doing the impossible for the ungrateful. We have done so much, for so long, with so little, we are now qualified to do anything with nothing."
Both individuals chose to believe in the power of the dream God gave them for a better society and humanity. Against all odds, difficulties, challenges, oppression, to mention but a few, they fought to see their dreams realized because their dreams were birthed by God and grew in God!
Again, I go back to the question I asked earlier: What kind of dreams does God want to dream through us? If we know, may we cultivate those dreams until they become a part of us, a dream so strong that nothing will stand in its path. If we do not know what dreams God is dreaming through us, no need to panic-He promises that the work He has began in us, He will be FAITHFUL to complete it. If we are discovering what the dreams He has for us are, let us continue praying to get clarity and not get destructed. God is dreaming through us because He is just that kind of God-and why not dream through us? Are we not made in His image? We are, and all the reason to dream just as big as God dreams-in and through HIM!!!!
