8/30/21-GOD SIZED DREAMS

Do you have a God sized dream? A dream only He can fulfill? Don’t despise or give up on it. If He’s the architect then it doesn’t matter how long it takes it will come to pass. If you’re able to make it happen without Him then it’s not big enough. He specializes in what gives Him glory. Just take a listen to this Psalm the entire universe brags on their Creator, and so should the dreams He gives.

“The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display His craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make Him known. They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard. Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world. God has made a home in the heavens for the sun. It bursts forth like a radiant bridegroom after his wedding. It rejoices like a great athlete eager to run the race. The sun rises at one end of the heavens and follows its course to the other end. Nothing can hide from its heat.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭19:1-6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Nothing He does is on a small scale. According to John the revelator, the gates to heaven are made of pearls and the streets paved in gold. Why then would He give dreams that we can bring to pass? He stretches our imagination by showing us through dreams and visions the awesome plans He has for us. Now let’s learn about a man who received a dream so big it’s taking an eternity for its complete fulfillment. We are recipients of that dream as well as generations after us. His story is familiar but it will help us stay the course until our God sized dreams manifest.

“The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭12:1-3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Awesome news right? Except for one little detail. Sometimes God sized dreams will ignore the elephant in the room. Move past the obstacle and declare the impossible. We’ll get to that later. The dream keeps getting bigger and more impossible to Abraham but not for the Dream Giver. The bigger the dream the greater the glory! Hallelujah

“Some time later, the Lord spoke to Abram in a vision and said to him, “Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you, and your reward will be great.” But Abram replied, “O Sovereign Lord, what good are all your blessings when I don’t even have a son? Since you’ve given me no children, Eliezer of Damascus, a servant in my household, will inherit all my wealth. You have given me no descendants of my own, so one of my servants will be my heir.” Then the Lord said to him, “No, your servant will not be your heir, for you will have a son of your own who will be your heir.” Then the Lord took Abram outside and said to him, “Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!”

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭15:1-5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Here’s the million dollar question and we all ask it whenever the dream is bigger than us.

“But Abram replied, “O Sovereign Lord, how can I be sure that I will actually possess it?” Genesis‬ ‭15:8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Have you had to ask that question? Then wait for it, it's a promise only He can bring to pass. If you haven’t had to ask that question and you know how to make it happen, then I have a question of my own. What did you have for dinner last night? Abram (Abraham) knew that what God was showing him would require total trust, he also knew that the dream would require an heir and he had none. But God wasn’t revealing all the details quite yet. As a matter of fact He skips over the how, and instead tells him what’s going to occur. (read the entire chapter 15) Before we can get to the crux of the matter, we have to begin with faith in the One who gives impossible dreams. God was building a foundation that would sustain Abraham throughout the waiting period. God sized dreams take time and patience. God is never in a hurry and neither should we. It’s all about His Name, reputation and glory.

I’m not going to write out all of Abraham’s journey to the fulfillment you may read about it on your own time. But let me offer this word of advice: Never help God out when He gives you a dream. Ask the how’s and trust what He wants to reveal. Never ever attempt fulfilling the dream your way. That’s a tried and failed lesson you don’t want to learn. God allowed chapters 16 and 21 to be recorded to teach us how to avoid the consequences for going ahead of Him. Other people will suffer because of our poor choices. Because of Sarah’s haste God prolonged the fulfillment until they were too old to take credit for anything. (Genesis 21) If you think He’s taking too long, I suggest you do the following; pray, worship, praise and thank Him for giving you the dream. Live in the moment. Hit the repeat button. But don’t help unless He asks you to.

Ishmaels don’t disappear, like Isaacs they too increase but not in a good way. Ask Abraham’s original descendants. As you wait for the promise of the unimaginable and the unthinkable allow your faith to be established and sustained through the reading of His Word. He’s never given a promise He doesn’t intend on keeping. He gave me a God sized promise thirteen years ago. I’m patiently waiting for the fulfillment, but in my heart I know I’ve already received it and thank Him for it often. I have made plans for the manifestation, there are certain requests that I’ve made over the years concerning the promise and I’ve watched as He’s had them taken care of. I’ve also asked for one thing in particular that over this waiting period He has allowed me to see that He’s heard me. He is truly an amazing Father. My hope is that you’ll learn to wait without becoming anxious. That you’ll trust like Abraham even when you have questions. He’s not put off by you asking about what you don’t understand. Just trust the answers He gives. Abraham waited twenty-five years, Israel waited forty after a four hundred years sojourning in Egypt, but didn’t all the promises come true? Yes they did.

Don’t give up on the dreams He has given! Remember He isn’t moved by our clocks and calendars. If you’re still breathing He’s not done. Israel had to cross Jordan to get to the promised land. We too may face obstacles on the way to the dream. Just don’t quit in the middle. Don’t be idle either, do what your hands find to do. No experience is ever wasted. God doesn’t have false starts, He doesn’t have hiccups. He always makes good on His promises.

“Yet I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness while I am here in the land of the living. Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭27:13-14‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Written by permission of the Holy Spirit

W. Tennant

August 30, 2021