Give Your Dream to God

Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart
(Psalm 37:4 – NIV)

When God is what you treasure, He shows Himself to be an extravagant giver of that treasure. As humans, our treasures are the things we dream about, our aspirations and goals, for ourselves and for our kind. All of us are dreamers, and all of us have desires we want to see fulfilled, godly or otherwise. These dreams are part of our fabric, and they can drive us to new heights if we have them in proper perspective. Although they might seem like desperate needs, they are really just wants, and are lesser things than what we really want, and truly need, which is to connect with God at a deep level. Einstein said, "I want to know God's thoughts, the rest are details."

This is true whether we realize it or not. Consider that all art, philosophy, sporting events, music, and any creative endeavor are attempts at achieving something beyond the common. Even science, and even when it sets out to disprove God, it is trying to connect with the unknown. Even when we don’t believe in a personal “God”, we all want to feel connected to the divine element. Even philosophers and atheists who believe that this life is all that is real, even they are striving to create something more than we see now.

Yet we don’t have what it takes, and so we settle for lesser things than God intends for us (Colossians 1:27). "Indeed, what could be more ludicrous in a vast and glorious universe like this than a human being, on the speck called earth, standing in front of a mirror trying to find significance in his own self-image (John Piper)?”

Why is it that we all desire more? Why are we so driven to achieve something greater than we are, as if to justify who we are? This is where our dreams come into play; they hold out hope for us of connecting with the divine, albeit in a lesser sort of way, here on earth. Even people who medicate through “getting high” are trying to do this, in a way. There must be a reason for this. We all want something greater than we are, which no one denies, though they might not have thought much about it. That is why we dream of a better existence, because our dreams are a reflection of our felt need to ascend to higher plane of existence. Not metaphysically, perhaps, but emotionally, at least.

As a Christian, when you have a felt need, you should decide that if God gives it to you, you would give it back to God. If you will seek Him first, He will give you back more than you wanted in the first place. What we typically want is less than Him, as our dreams at best are but reflections of His glory, yet we strive with all our might for these dreams because God has placed eternity in our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11 – ESV). However, if we give our wants and ourselves to Him, He gives us Himself, and everything we need in return. He multiplies the dream. When He “makes you lose” the very thing you want most, and yet you praise Him, He unleashes a powerful blessing upon you.

Consider Hannah for a moment. She had no children, but promised God that if she were to conceive, she would give her child in the service of the Lord. God remembered her, and she remembered her promise to God. Think about that; Hannah wanted a child, yet when she got one she gave him to the Lord. This same woman, once barren, had five more children (1 Samuel 2:21). Abraham also gave his dream to God; remember?

The greatest thing God has is His Son, yet He gave Him. To become Christlike is to give your life for God (John 12:24). Jesus gave His life and received many lives in return (Hebrews 2:10).

God is omniscient, and He certainly does know the future, but from our angle we can say that He is waiting to see what you’re willing to do. Give your dream to God, and He will give you more than you could ever imagine.