When Dreams Come True
“And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more.” Genesis 37:5
“Dream Big Dreams!”
“Follow your dream.”
“Make your dream happen.”
The world philosophy says much about dreams today.
While the New Testament has several people who are given dreams, there is no evidence that God continues to give dreams today. Then, the dreams were part of God’s special revelation, the Bible. The dreams Joseph is given are revelation of the Lord. Today we do not receive special revelation. We have a completed Bible.
However, the Lord does burden our hearts. We are convicted by the Spirit of God to action. The Lord gives us “desires” that are informed by our Bible knowledge and yielding to His Holy Spirit.
For the Christian, the dream must be rooted in the Bible. Following God leads to fulfilled dreams.
Don’t just follow a dream; follow the Maker of the dream.
Here are 3 considerations on the way to seeing dreams come true.
The Path to the Dream Does Not Always Make Sense.
The Lord may not take you straight to the conclusion of a dream. When the dream came, Joseph saw his promotion and blessing, but he did not see his the problems he was to face. On the way, he was enslaved (Gen. 39:1-6). He was accused (Gen. 39:7-20). He was imprisoned (Gen. 39:21-23). And he was forgotten (Gen. 40:23).
Many “health and wealth” teachers fail to mention the heartache, suffering, and difficulty that followers of Jesus will truly face. “Name it and claim it” did not work for Joseph. He endured much suffering and the path he was on did not make sense. Truly, Joseph was following God, not a dream.
The Hand of God Can Be Traced to the Dream’s Fulfillment.
Arriving at the fulfillment of the dream is seldom a quick proposition. For Joseph it took many years before the dream was fulfilled. All that time, the hand of God was evident in his life.
The Lord prospers Joseph in spite of the circumstances and the lowly positions he held. Everything that Joseph touched was prospered. The Lord also gave an opportunity for growth. Joseph was not ready for the fulfillment of the dream until he endured the time and trouble he faced.
Sometimes the Lord allows problems in our lives to make us into the people He wants us to be. If we never had any problems, why would we need God?
- Sometimes problems come because of our sin. Genesis 3:17 says, “And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life.”
- Sometimes problems come because of the sin of others. Daniel and Joseph are examples.
- Sometimes the problem tempts us quit, but God can help. I Corinthians 10:13 states, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”
- Sometimes problems come to grow us. Such is the case with Joseph on his unlikely journey to become Prime Minister of Egypt.
The Lord oversees the dream. God was the maker of the dream and He was the One who could bring it to pass! Joseph was faithful, not to his dream, but to the maker of the dream. Psalm 37:4 -5 teaches, “Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.” We trust God with His will.
The Equipping of God for the Ministry Enables the Dream.
Joseph was equipped of God to declare God’s Word (Gen. 41:25-32). When speaking to his brothers, the jailer, and the Pharaoh, he merely told them the Word of God. His dream was from God and Joseph was living a life according to the Word of God.
Dreams can come from the world, our flesh, and the devil. For example, Jeremiah 23:25-27 demonstrates that some believers forgot the Lord and chose to follow the dreams of Baal, a false god.
Or the dream can come from God. The dreams Christians arrive at are realized because they are living the Word of God. They are walking through life with the Maker of the dream. The dreams God has for you are always rooted in the Bible. God-given dreams are never in contradiction to the written Word of God.
Joseph was also equipped by the Lord to fulfill the will of God (Gen. 41:33-50). The famine was prepared for. An administrative brilliance is displayed. A nation was spared. Pharaoh takes his advice from the former slave and rejected brother.
The dream of the sheaves is fulfilled in Genesis chapters 43-44. The dream of the 11 Stars, Sun and Moon bowing down takes place in Genesis chapter 46. The dreams God gave did come true
Following God leads to fulfilled dreams. Don’t just follow a dream; follow the Maker of the dream.
In one interview, Tom Brady, quarterback of the New England Patriots, told 60 Minutes, “Why do I have three Super Bowl rings and still think there’s something greater out there for me? I mean, maybe a lot of people would say, ‘Hey man, this is what is.’ I reached my goal, my dream, my life. Me, I think, it’s got to be more than this. I mean this isn’t, this can’t be what it’s all cracked up to be.” “What’s the answer,” asked interviewer Steve Kroft. “I wish I knew,” Brady replied. “I wish I knew.”” (Ministry127)
When we follow our dreams instead of following the Maker of dreams, we will feel empty, unfulfilled, and will fall short of glorifying the Lord. Ask yourself these reflective questions:
- Am I following my dream or the Maker of the dream?
- Will I be faithful to truth when the tough times come?
- Will I grow spiritually through the circumstances?
EDC Christian 