DREAMS – Pt 5

Psalm 126:1-6 “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. Turn again our captivity, O LORD, as the streams in the south. They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.”

In the past four weeks I have tried to share my heart about dreams we have which are really from God. I remember the dreams I had as a youngster as one of my focuses was being part of the Oxford High School band. As I got married Grace and I were focused on our family, especially the children God had given us. And then God led us to Tennessee Temple University and a dream of serving together in the ministry. And all along the path God has guided us, there has been dream after dream. This has been a wonderful life. All of us can have this wonderful journey when we accept the dream God has for us and we follow that dream until the rapture or He takes us home through “spiritual sleep.”

The road is not always along a smooth paved highway. There are some potholes and even some rough terrain. But that’s part of life. Let’s look at it:


IV.THE DEMANDS OF THE DREAM

Look at verse 6, “He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.”

Have you ever heard the man-made proverb that says “God helps those who helps themselves?” You can’t say that’s true in all cases, but have to admit that you have not seen any farmer who has ever grown a crop by prayer alone.

The farmer has to go out in the field, plow the ground, plant the seeds, add the right kind of fertilizer, pray for the rain and sunshine and wait for the harvest. There has to be some work. No matter what you’re going to do, there are some demands involved.

We live in the age of impatience. We don’t just want something, we want it right now. The world market system has picked up on this and has tried to make tons of money catering to our wishes. We now have just about any kind of food you want, microwavable. Electronic equipment is almost obsolete the moment it is taken out of the box. We just don’t want to wait for anything.

People don’t even want to wait to make a phone call, it’s faster to text. This old man doesn’t know how to text. One of our grandchildren tried to text their grandmother and our daughter said, “Son, grandmother doesn’t know how to text.”

We may have instant potatoes, instant pudding and instant messaging, but there is no instant success with God. Success in the things of the Lord is earned by honoring His precepts and promises. It is an ongoing process. You and I can learn three things about God’s demands from the first part of verse six:


A. It Involves PURSUIT

Notice the phrase, “he that goeth forth.” This phrase has the idea of moving away from something and moving toward something else. We must move away from our dream and move toward sowing. There are some old songs you don’t hear much in churches today. I like the old hymns. One song says “work for the night is coming,” and another says “We’ll work till Jesus comes.” I like both of them because they are Scriptural. If you and I are going to be successful in the dream God has given us, we must put ourselves on the firing line, or at least on the business end of the hoe.

Many Christians have wonderful dreams, but they just don’t “go forth” and present themselves for the service of the Lord. A dream will stay a dream until the dreamer gets up off the seat of do-nothing and gets going in the process of sowing. Every one of us needs to be involved in some part of the mission God has given to us. Notice what Jesus said in Matthew 28:19-20, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

B. It Involves PAIN

Notice verse 6 again and the two words “and weepeth.” Most people don’t like this part. The word “weepeth” means to lament; to bewail; to shed tears of grief or humiliation. Sometimes people cry and then at other times they weep. There is a difference.

Many of God’s people will quit when things get difficult. That’s not the way to accomplish your godly dream. This life is a proving ground. We’re not being tested for God to see how we’ll do. We’re actually tested for us to learn more about ourselves, and for us to learn more about the God who enables us to accomplish our dream. There will be difficulty and pain. It’s part of the process.

Paul had pain and testing. How did he feel about them? Notice Philippians 1:12 “But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel;”

Our prayer should be that God helps us look at pain in the same way as did Paul.

C. It Involves PURPOSE

And what is the purpose? The purpose is found in the phrase “bearing precious seed.” In the dream of every child of God, the goal is to accomplish God’s purpose. God has given us special abilities, gifts and talents and He expects each of us to use them for His glory. We’re not saved to spend life doing nothing, but to serve the Lord. We read in Ephesians 2:10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

The phrase “bearing precious seed” literally means, to leave a trail to follow. The planting of the valuable seed was to set in motion events that would lead to a bumper crop. Our purpose must be to do the same thing in our lives. We’re leaving a life trail by our actions and decisions. Can others follow the trail we are leaving? I like the song: “Find Us Faithful” That’s my desire and I pray it’s also your desire.

I remember years ago I was talking to a young youth pastor and he was telling me of what he was doing with his youth group. He told me of some of his plans and goals. He told me of some of his youth activities and also showed me a youth newspaper he was producing. And then he said something to this effect: “I am doing some of the same things you use to do in your ministry with us.” Nothing could have excited me more. I had planted some seed that was yielding a harvest.

What about you? What seeds are you planting?

Next weeks in CHALLENGING CONCEPTS we will look at the last point: The DELIGHTS of the dream.

That’s my view; how about you?