DREAMS – Pt 4

Psalm 126:1-3 “When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them. The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad.”

There must be a caution at this point. Just because someone has a dream and a desire, doesn’t mean that dream is from God. King David looked at his house of cedar and remembered that the “ark of God” dwelled in a tent, and dreamed about building a magnificent temple for God. David even got encouragement from Nathan, but later Nathan came back and said that God had told him that David was not to build that temple.

There are times that we have a dream but that dream is not of God. We might even have some good meaning friends who encourage us in that dream. We need to make sure our dream is from God.

Remember, in our first point in this series we said that God would direct us and show us His will. We also pointed out that the success of our dream or the dream of others can encourage many other believers to pursue their dream.

In this week’s CHALLENGING CONCEPTS we have to face the fact that there can be difficulties pursuing our dreams.

III. THE DIFFICULTIES OF THE DREAM

Look now at Psalm 126:3-5 “The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad. Turn again our captivity, O LORD, as the streams in the south. They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.”

I have known many people who have started off on their way to fulfilling God’s purposes for their lives. I have seen some succeed, but I have also seen some get sidetracked. I have seen some fail miserably.

I remember a young man who moved his family to Chattanooga to enter Bible college. He came in like a tornado, but left like puff of smoke. He had a great dream. He had great plans but it was just too hard for him to stay. Was he called of God? Was his dream from God? Only he and God really knows the answer to those questions.

I have also been amazed how some people attack life with the tenacity of a Pit Bull and never allow any kind of difficulty to affect them. What’s the difference between the two? In the verses we just read God shows us how to achieve our dreams in spite of the difficulties we’re sure to face in our walk. Let’s take a look at what God shares:

A. ACKNOWLEDGE past blessings

Notice verse 3 “The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad.”

In verse 2 it was the heathen who pointed out the blessings of God. Now in verse 3 the Psalmist himself who remembers the great victories and agrees with the unbelievers that God was a great God.

It’s a sad situation when the unsaved world points out how great God is, but it is true that there are times in which we forget that we are God’s children and that He walks with us and helps us every minute of the day. In times of difficulty we become ignorant of His presence and His blessings. God’s past blessings are solid evidence for future ones.

B. ASK for present blessings

Notice verse 4 “Turn again our captivity, O LORD, as the streams in the south.”

The Psalmist is asking. James 4:2 “. . . ye have not, because ye ask not.” Sometimes we have the idea that since God already knows, why bother asking. God wants us to bring our hopes and desires to Him in prayer. This is what Jabez did in I Chronicles 4:10, “And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.”

You and I are to do the same thing. We must seek God’s blessings on all that we dream or do. If God’s blessings are not on our service, it will be a failure. We read in John 15:5 “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” We must have God’s blessings.

C. AFFIRM promised blessings

Notice verse 5 “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.”

This great truth is sometimes quoted very flippantly. There’s a great truth here. For those in deepest poverty, this is a supreme act of faith. Many times the seed was a large portion of their food supply. To go out and plant that seed instead of eating it took great faith. What would they do tomorrow? How would they survive?

For the child of God to gain future blessings, he must be willing to give up present benefits. To the farmer and herdsman of the plain, there were no guarantees that their crops would ever come to harvest. They were exposed to robbers and even invading armies. They faced all manner of evil every day of their life. They did not live in a walled city for defense. All They had were the promises of God. It took a lot of faith to plant the seeds in the face of such adversity.

In our walk with the Lord there are many tears. As we serve there are hardship and trials. We sometimes weep while we continue to pursue our dream. That’s part of life. But remember there’s a harvest we will reap here on this earth. I look at lives I have influenced for God and I rejoice in that. But there’s a greater harvest coming for the child of God. It’s a sure harvest because God has promised it and He cannot lie.

I firmly believe that when we see that final harvest, we will thank God for the privilege of experiencing the tears of our sowing.

In next week’s CHALLENGING CONCEPTS we will examine verse 6 and the DEMANDS of the dream.

That’s my view; how about you?