Dream On!

“Dream on.” Those words have often been used sarcastically to mock someone for hoping for something absurd and impossible. Today, I want to use those words to encourage and inspire you to never give up on the dreams that God has placed in your heart.

One night Joseph had a dream, and when he told his brothers about it, they hated him more than ever. Genesis 37:5 (New Living Translation, NLT)

Most of us are familiar with Joseph and his dreams. He dreamed of greatness when he was just a youth. His dreams irritated his family members and actually set in motion a difficult journey to the realization of those very dreams. God used dreams of the night to place dreams, or images of his future, inside Joseph. God gave him the dreams, and although man tried to mock his dreams and treat them with contempt, God used the cruel actions of people to bring the dreams to pass.

Have you ever noticed that many times, the resistance to our dreams is the very thing that serves to make those dreams a reality? Often, God will use the resistance to prepare us for the dream. Enduring harsh treatment is never fun, but it can serve to make us stronger and ready to handle the responsibilities that come with the dreams we have.

Joseph was young when he had his dreams and told them to his brothers. He was inexperienced with no leadership background to speak of. God had him destined to direct the greatest nation on earth at that time and to keep mankind alive during a time of massive famine. If his dream had come to pass immediately, he would have never been ready for the awesome weight of such a position.

Did God cause him to be sold into slavery? No. Did God cause him to be unjustly accused? No. Did God cause him to be thrown in prison? No. But, at every step of his journey, God was with him, and Joseph was being grown and developed to step into the manifestation of his dream. When the time came for someone to preserve life, he was ready.

Today, you may be dreaming of many things. If God has given you a dream, never give up on it. Right now it may look like that dream has absolutely no chance of coming to pass, but rest assured, God is faithful. At the right time, likely when it looks impossible, you will see it manifest in a way that you know could only be done by God. In the process, you’ll get stronger and more able to run with the dream when it arrives. So, dream on, my friend, dream on. It’s on its way!

So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Galatians 6:9 (New Living Translation, NLT)