Author: Pastor Andrew Farland
In the Old Testament, there is a story of a man named Abraham, who was asked by God! to leave everything he had and travel to a new town. No direction. No explanation. Just the promise that God would make Abraham the father of many nations.
Abraham longed for a child, but as time passed, he and his wife Sarah grew increasingly disheartened. They had left their home to follow God, yet they remained childless. Watching others around them become parents only added to their frustration. “Why won’t God give us a child of our own?” they wondered.
Maybe you can relate.
“If you have ever felt like Abraham and his wife, you can relate to the feeling of following God for a long time and having big dreams that you want to see come to fruition. However, you may feel stagnant as your career isn’t progressing, the ministry you wanted to start isn’t gaining traction, or you can’t find the resources you need to achieve your goals. You may be thinking, ‘I have been following what I thought was God’s call on my life! Why isn’t He blessing me with what I want?'”
Abraham wanted a child, a gift God would eventually give him and Sarah. But God had the biggest dream for Abraham’s life that he couldn’t imagine. He would become the father of many nations. Through his bloodline would come, Jesus, the one who made it possible for every man and woman to have a relationship with God. Truly! a father of many nations.
The story of Abraham resonates with me because I thought I would become a professional tennis player. I spent countless hours, and my mom spent thousands of hours and dollars toward becoming the best tennis player I could be. It was my dream. Nothing else mattered. Then I got hurt. And the injury I acquired prevented me from playing tennis at a competitive professional level ever again.
God had bigger dreams for my life, though. He knew that, through my experiences, He would teach me lessons that, in turn, I would like to share my father’s dream for my life: to become a missionary of the gospel and preach His word in other countries, seeing hundreds of people come to know their saviour.
So, if you find yourself like Abraham or me, remember this truth: Hold loosely to your dreams. If you hold onto them too tightly, it’s going to hurt more when God pries open your hands.
God’s dream is far greater than any of our plans.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)
