God dreams about you. Yes it’s true, God has dreams. He does not sleep, but Abba Father dreams in His heart about you. And, in His own way, He shares them with you.
Ever have a vivid dream so powerful it seemed real? Joseph did. He dreamed of greatness. He saw that he would be exalted, even above his own family. Joseph’s dreams were supernaturally given to him by God. Twice he dreamed that his brothers, and even his parents, bowed down to him. (See Genesis 37:2-11.)
God told Joseph what He was planning to do so that he could believe the Lord’s promise while he endured the necessary preparation for leadership. “Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them” (Isaiah 42:9). In various ways, God shares with His people what He is going to do so that in faith we can agree with Him and remain faithful to Him while He prepares us.
Foolishly, Joseph told his brothers about his dreams. He knew they were already jealous of him because of the ornate robe his father, Jacob, had made for him. His boasting nearly led to his death. Had Reuben not intervened, Joseph would never have known the incredible destiny the Lord had appointed for him. Yet, Joseph had to be prepared for the call of God. So in loving kindness the Lord turned into good what the enemy intended for evil. All the suffering that Joseph endured as a slave and as a prisoner in Pharaoh’s dungeon was used by God to help him become a good and compassionate ruler. (See Genesis 37-41.) Joseph learned to truly lean on the Lord, and from that humble position, he was empowered to accurately interpret Pharaoh’s dream and righteously lead Egypt.
Dreams Rooted in Love
Just as Joseph was passionately loved by Jacob, every person is deeply loved by Abba Father. God proved His tremendous love for all people through the suffering and cross of Jesus Christ (John 3:16; 1 John 3:16). Abba lavishes His love upon us and appoints all who follow Jesus to be His children “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!” (1 John 3:1). He is a good and loving Father, righteous in all His ways.
As a good Father, Abba has dreams for His children; they are the dreams of His heart. When a couple gives birth to a child they have dreams for the precious life given into their care. They love their little baby just as he or she is. They see the beautiful child, a product of their own lives, and love her without placing any great demands on her. She is too little to return their hugs and kisses. And she isn’t able to tell them how much she appreciates all they do for her (that might not happen for nearly 30 years). Yet as good parents, they passionately love their helpless infant. At the same time, these parents are thinking about their child’s education, and how she might impact the world, bringing glory to Christ.
Abba is the perfect Father. He loves us exactly where we are today and does not place unreasonable expectations on us. At the same time, He has wonderful dreams for us. He dreams about what He has purposed for our lives. First, of course, is His desire that we know and love His Son, Jesus. But Abba also has specific plans for each person’s life. He told Jeremiah that He knew him before he was even in his mothers womb and that He had appointed him to be a prophet to the nations (Jeremiah 1:5). This is an example of the purposes of God for our lives. Our loving Abba Father has good dreams for all of His children and they are perfectly suited for each one of us.
You Can Impact Destinies
God dreams about you. He loves you for who you are today and is enjoying drawing you close to Himself. You are truly precious treasure to Him. “The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the people on the face of the earth” (Deuteronomy 7:6). Abba has a mighty plan for your life. He has given you the ability to impact the territory He has appointed to you for His glory. The eternal destiny of many lives can be changed as God fulfills His purposes in your life!
About five years ago I had a dream that has greatly encouraged me. In the dream I was attending a football game. The huge stadium was filled to capacity with fans who truly loved their team. The score was close but the opposing team was beating us. On the playing field, our team was very close to scoring, but there were only a few seconds left in the game. All the fans were grieved because it seemed we were about to lose. Suddenly, one of our players got the ball through the goal and scored just in time–we won the game! The fans were jumping, screaming, and hugging each other with great excitement. Immediately the dream shifted and we were in a large room where everyone was talking with great enthusiasm about the game. I got up on a table and managed to get the crowd to quiet down. Then I encouraged them that just like the player on the field, each one of us has the opportunity to change history for the glory of God.
You are appointed to change the eternal destinies of the people around you. There are many different ways that you can impact your world for Christ. God has a plan for you–something significant He desires you to achieve. I believe the Lord is encouraging you to hold on to your dreams today. Do not become discouraged because it is taking a long time to see your destiny fulfilled. Like Joseph, you have been in training. God has been preparing you, conforming you into the image of His Son, Jesus, so that you can accomplish all that He has purposed for you.
The work you are doing for the Lord today is significant. But He has more. He is not through with you yet. And I truly believe His word to you today is: “Dream BIG.” Joseph dreamed big. His God was fully able to make the eleventh son the greatest of all. And I believe that while Joseph endured the struggles of slavery and prison, he kept his faith that God was the author of His dream and He would fulfill it.
Lord, Thank You For My Struggles!
If you are enduring struggles, praise the Lord! Yes, I really mean that–praise the Lord! Thank Him for all He is doing in your life because He is preparing you for the mighty destiny He has ahead for you. 2012 is a year of transition. The body of Christ is now entering the beginning stages of a tremendous harvest for our King.
The Lord is lovingly, but painstakingly working with His people to help us be ready to bring Him His harvest. Just as Phillip needed to understand he was seeing Abba Father when he saw Jesus, so the world must see Jesus when they see us (John 14:9). The Apostle Paul wrote he had been crucified with Christ and that Christ lived in him (Galatians 2:20). Paul’s character was transformed to the image of Christ through his struggles. As a result, he led multitudes to the Savior and was responsible for spreading the Gospel throughout the Gentile world. So praise the Lord for your trials because God is preparing you to be used mightily by Him.
Hang Tight
Hold on to your dreams. Do not let discouragement rob you of them. Do not let impatience or frustration steal the victory from you. If you tossed out your dreams because it didn’t seem what God said was coming true, I urge you to dig them out of the trash heap and recover them! Treasure them in your heart. God will be faithful to do whatever He said he will do. Let it be to you according to what the Lord has said (see Luke 1:38).
God was faithful to bring Joseph into all He had for him, and if you will believe, He will bring you into your destiny. “God is not a man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has he spoken, and will He not fulfill it? (Numbers 23:19)
There is nothing to difficult for our God. Dream big with Him. Do you want to lead people to Christ? Believe BIG. Increase your vision and ask God to help you lead hundreds, even thousands to their Savior. Yes, He can do that through you! Do you want to impact a society for Christ? God is not limited in how He can work through you.
A few months ago the Lord told me I would preach to millions. I struggled with believing it and figured maybe someday it might possibly happen. However, on January 8th I was asked to speak on a Christian radio show while ministering in Uganda. I wondered if anyone was actually listening as I preached about marriage and shared how the Lord helped me overcome my own personal struggle. After the show I was told that there were about 2-4 million people tuned in. (I was really glad I did not know that before the show!) The Lord told me what He was planning and then He fulfilled it. God will be faithful and keep His word to you. He will tell you what He is going to do. Then, as you believe Him, watch Him fulfill it.
Remember: with God all things are possible!
Dr. Karen Jean Williams
Copyright 2012 by Dr. Karen Jean Williams, CROWNNetwork.org All rights reserved.
Jesus and I stood together near a grave site. As we approached the casket I saw myself lying inside. The Lord told me that Karen had died. I looked at Him quizzically, not understanding His full meaning. He explained that my flesh was dead and we were about to bury it. The Lord then asked me to close the casket. This vision was so intense that I actually thought I would experience claustrophobia inside the coffin. But Jesus reassured me that Karen was dead so she would not notice, and that I, His bride, was not inside the casket.
I recently had a vision of Jesus hanging on the cross, bloody and suffering. It was a close up view, primarily of His head, upper chest and arms. The crown of thorns was firmly imbedded into His skull. Blood dripped from His swollen head; His flesh visibly torn from the beating He had endured. It was truly painful to look at Him, seeing Him suffer, knowing it was for me, because I had sinned.
Are you thirsty for Jesus? Are you hungry to experience Him in greater depths. “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food day and night” (Psalm 42:1-3a). The depths of God’s heart are wooing us, seeking to draw us nearer to Him. He is speaking His tremendous love into the depths of our souls, “Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls; all Your waves and billows have gone over me. The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night His song shall be with me” (v 7-8). A waterfall is a place of beauty and refreshing. We live in a spiritually dry and thirsty land. Coming into the presence of our Lord, resting in His tremendous love for us, is like being refreshed on a hot day by the cool mist which emanates from a powerful waterfall.
An attitude of gratitude will overcome self-pity. It will slam the door on frustration and hopelessness. And it will release your victory. In Philippi Paul and Silas were in a great deal of pain having been beaten with rods and then chained to stocks in a filthy, rat infested dungeon after casting a demon out of a fortune-telling, slave girl. That seems like a pretty hopeless situation to me. Yet they sang praises to God which released His miracle power. Suddenly there was a major earthquake, the door of the prison flew open and the chains broke off their legs. Now I call that victory! To top things off the jailer and his whole household end up getting saved. It would have been easy for Paul and Silas to miss their miracle by listening to self pity or giving up to hopelessness. (See Acts 16.)
In May of 2001, I had the privilege of touring Israel during the second infitada. One evening I was waiting with five or six other people in front of the hotel elevator. Sitting on the floor just a few feet from me was a small boy, about four years old. He had been looking at something on the carpet. Suddenly he looked up and couldn’t find His dad. Thinking he was alone in the midst of strangers, anxiety began to grip him. The child started crying out in Hebrew, “Abba Abba.” Immediately his father stepped forward and picked up his son. As the little guy clung to his father, he beamed with relief and joy – he was once again safe in his daddy’s arms.