About a year ago, I went through a season of extreme discouragement. It is a time I hope I never have to repeat. There were moments when I thought I might not survive spiritually or mentally. I suppose, at some level, I was in a season of depression. One might wonder what brought on such a season of darkness. It all began when I believed the lie that my dreams were dead and, in so doing, that my dreams were the most important thing to me.
For many years, the Spirit has led us and spoken to our church about many incredible things that He desires for us and will accomplish among us. For context, our family has been in leadership here for 36 years. I was 10 years old when we moved in 1988. That’s 36 years of prayers, waiting, and believing. Over those years, people have come and gone, but the dream has remained.
I began my ministry here on Memorial weekend of 2000, now 24 years ago. I became lead pastor on the first Sunday of June in 2013, now 11 years ago. It is wonderful that our family has been here in Louisville and has not moved from place to place, as so often happens in ministry. The downside of being in one place for a long time is that you may see your dreams die.
King David (2 Sam 12) commits a series of grievous sins, adultery, and murder. When the Prophet Nathan confronts the king about his sins, David recognizes that he deserves death under God’s law. Would his dreams die? God chooses to spare David, but He does allow the son born in sin to pass. Again, is this a sign that David’s dynasty and his dreams will die?
In Genesis 39-50, we see the story of Joseph, who quite literally had dreams. After sharing those dreams with his brothers, Joseph finds himself a slave in the land of Egypt. One thing leads to another, and eventually, this dreamer is in prison following a false accusation of sexual misconduct. Here, too, Joseph came face to face with the death of his dreams.
The disciples walked this path as they watched their Savior die on the cross and be buried in a borrowed tomb. They did not yet understand all that was happening. What they did know was that the master they followed was now dead, and they were in hiding. Can you imagine the desperate thoughts they endured over the course of the next three days? Everything they thought they understood about the future came crashing down with their dreams.
We serve a God that resurrects dreams!
King David and the woman he sinned with had another child, Solomon, who became the King of Israel.
Joseph was released from prison and became the second most powerful person in Egypt because of a dream Pharoah had.
Jesus was raised from the dead on the third day. In so doing, He accomplished what He came to earth to do. He conquered death and became the first fruit of the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15).
It is easy to believe your dreams are dead when everything is falling apart around you. But what if your brokenness is the avenue by which your dreams come back to life? What if God takes you through difficult times so that you will give Him glory when His promises come to pass? What if your dream is not dead?
Last summer, our family traveled to Colorado for my nephew’s wedding. Sitting in a hotel room near Denver, the Lord asked me a simple question, “Do you trust me?” At that moment, my fear of dead dreams came crashing into the hope of my Savior. At that moment, my dreams did not matter. They were secondary to the trust I placed in Jesus. I recognized that even if my dreams never come true, Jesus is and must always remain my single greatest pursuit.
I walked away with a renewed sense of hope and a new approach to my dreams. None of them matter if I am close to Jesus. If they come to pass, it is because of Him. If they do not, it is because of Him. Either way, I will serve Him.
Dreams are not my greatest pursuit; Jesus is.
Since that time last year, at any moment, I begin to drift to questions of why or why not. I hear the Spirit quietly ask, “Do you trust me?” The answer remains the same.
Yes, I trust you!
Through Time 