Living the Dream
For the past several days, I have been taking the GH15 posts from the book, Dream, which I wrote several years ago. Today’s post will be the final one on this subject. The book is about allowing God to influence our plans and dreams for the future, and how He also hides His dreams in ours. The Lord’s desire is that He and His kids dream together - God and family stewarding and influencing the earth for good.
For the unfortunate and misguided individuals who do not see the posts every day, I’ll review a couple of other points. One of the places Yahweh began his dream journey with Abraham was Bethel (Genesis 12). This is why the Lord gave his grandson, Jacob, a dream in this sacred place 100 or so years later, extending to him the same dream. Same place; same dream. Bethel means “the house of God.” When we become part of God’s family, His household, He wants us to partner with Him in His dreams.
Although Jacob’s heart was not fully captured by God at Bethel - and therefore he was not fully ready to participate in the dream - nevertheless, the process had begun. It was completed 20 years later at Peniel, which means “the face of God.” After fully capturing Jacob’s heart, the Lord told him to go back to Bethel, the place where the dreaming began, and live there! (Genesis 35) Incredible.
“Oh, and build another altar there,” Yahweh told him. Jacob obeyed and named the altar El Bethel, which means “the God of Bethel.” My interpretation of this phrase: “the God of the dream place!”
By giving it this name, Jacob was saying, “This is where the journey began. You gave my grandfather a dream at this holy place, and You visited me with a dream here, as well. I accept Your invitation to live at Your house, the place of dreams, and will honor You as the Dream-giver. From this day forward we will dream together.”
By telling Jacob to live at Bethel, the Lord was Himself making a huge statement. “Now that I’ve captured your heart, Jacob, and can trust you as My dreaming partner, why don’t you just go back there and live. In that special place where it began…let’s live the dream!”
If that doesn’t move you, you’re immovable!
Three years after my dream journey began in the cabin I affectionately refer to as “my Moriah/Peniel cabin,” Ceci and I returned to the same vacation complex for some time off. As it turns out, I was also putting the finishing touches on the book we’ve been looking at, Dream. We did not plan this timing - when we scheduled the vacation several months earlier, I had no idea I would be finishing the book while there. But God did. Through His sovereign ability He placed me where the dream revelation began, to finish writing the dream book.
Only God.
Initially, I was a little disappointed that we were not staying in the same cabin. Since God obviously planned to bring me back here to finish the book, I thought, why wouldn’t He make certain the same cabin was available? Surely He could influence other people’s schedules and insure that my dream cabin was available. Then I saw the plaque:
“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.’” (Jeremiah 29:11)
This is not a Christian camp or community, by the way; it is simply a community of privately owned dwellings, some of which can be rented. I wonder if the owner of this home, when purchasing the plaque, had any idea that it would be used by Holy Spirit in such a remarkable way? Probably not.
God is so amazing!
My dream of writing the dream book was ending, but as the verse so powerfully stated, the Lord had more plans for me, “plans for good and not evil, to give me a future and a hope.” “Future” is the word acharyith, sometimes translated “destiny.” I am confident that my destiny is secure in the dreaming heart of my heavenly Father.
“Plans” in this verse comes from a word meaning “to think, conceive, devise, consider, plan, etc.” The word came to also include the result or ensuing action produced by the planning and thinking: “invent, fabricate, weave,” and so on. Not complicated: first we think about it, then we do it. We devise or conceive the end result, then we create it. God, ever the Dreamer, has conceived wonderful plans for you and me. He began the weaving of them into our destinies while we were still in our mothers’ wombs (Psalm 139:13).
God has done the same with nations. There are some - even Christian leaders - who laugh and scoff at the idea that God raised up America for the purpose of spreading the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ, to the ends of the earth. To the contrary, I find the suggestion that He would NOT do such a thing as utterly preposterous. What could be more reasonable than to believe that God would (and has) raised up a nation for this very purpose? This in no way suggests an exclusive calling in this regard, it simply states that it is the primary purpose for America’s existence. Nor does it imply that we are the ruler of all nations; it actually makes us the servant of all nations.
That God raises up nations for His purposes is undeniable biblically. Deuteronomy 32:8 and Acts 17:26 both state that He sets the boundaries of nations. Job 12:23 tells us God makes nations great and enlarges them; it also says He destroys them. My best advice is to ignore those who preach or teach otherwise. Don’t allow them to distract you, just keep living the dream.
As we pray regarding the elections coming up next Tuesday, and about America’s future in general, continue to decree that America shall be saved. Appeal to heaven for mercy and a great turnaround of our nation and its government. Ask for a Third Great Awakening that brings a transformation of epic proportions and a return to our destiny. Partner with God’s dreaming heart, asking for His redeeming grace and glory to cover the earth as the waters cover the sea.
Prayer with me:
Father, we thank You for Your refusal to give up on Your dream. You will not relent until You have representatives from every tribe and tongue in Your family. We have chosen to participate with You in this dream. And like You, we will not relent.
We also have embraced Your dream for America, the dream that America would be a voice for You to all the nations of the earth. Thus, we are a serving people, laying down our lives for the cause of Christ. For this cause also, we will not relent in our faith and prayers. We will see everything You have promised - America shall be saved. Give victory in this upcoming election to those who most align with Your ways and heart. We ask for Your kingdom rule to come, and Your will to be done in this election. (Take a moment or two and pray regarding the specific races Holy Spirit brings to your mind.)
And we call forth a worldwide revival, the greatest in history. Nothing will stop this. It has already begun and will continue to build in strength and momentum. You have declared it to be so, and so it shall be. We pray all of this in the name of Yeshua.
Our Decree:
We decree that the great Master Planner and Dreamer, Yahweh, will have His dream.
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