Testing the Dreams

There is a way of testing our dreams to prove whether they are truly our heart's desire, desires for which we have the right to pray. We hold them up to the light of Philipians 4, the six 'whatsoevers'.

 

1. are the things we desire true;  true to our nature; things we truly need for daily life, work, ministry ("give us this day our daily bread" etc)?

 

2. do we honestly desire them: are we absolutely sure that we do, not from spite, envy or pride or someone else's expectations?

 

3. are they just desires; do they take anything from another person; are we deserving of them in the eyes of God; have we earned the right to pray for them through toil, sacrifice and service?

 

4. are they pure; purity of heart comes from recognising every human soul as vauable and worthy of our respect; our dreams must never cause another person, anywhere,  to suffer.

 

5. are they lovely; (my favourite test by far)...quoting Clark

    " When we do a loving thing, beautifully, gracefully, harmoniously, what more can we ask? Pray then, for beautiful things, knowing that this praying for beauty is not vanity, pride, or selfishness. Is there any vanity in God when he gives us a beautiful sunset, flower or lake?

   We too have the right to make life for others sweeter and happier and more beautiful. We have the right to pray for greater beauty and happiness to shine from our faces, greater eloquence to clothe our speech, and a finer grace to govern our actions. ....pray that beauty and loveliness may enter every corner and phase of our lives."

6. are they of good report; this test relates to our outlook. If we believe that God hears and answers our prayers, especially those ‘dreams’ that have come from Him, we should expect a good report. Our attitude should always be one of expectant optimism.

This testing of our dreams takes time, but it’s a wonderful sieve to put them through.

How many are still on your list?

We had  7 or 8 on our first list.

The Keeper of Dreams

The Keeper of Dreams

Putting our dreams into words is no easy task, but it is the first step in realizing ‘dreams that come true.’

The second step is to test them to see if they are selfish worldy dreams (from the horn of ivory) or dreams that come from God (carved from horn). more later.

The third step, and the most important of all, is to give the dream entirely into the hands of God. If we believe that what we have written down is truly a soul’s sincere desire, then we have the right to pray for them.

However, knowing our human tendency to try and take control of EVERYTHING, including God, Glenn Clark reminds us:

            “the final and most difficult law in the kindergarten of prayer is giving the whole thing   ….even the process of achieving that dream - completely into the hands of the Father. And by “process of achieving’ I mean giving God the right of using any avenue and any agency which He cares to use to bring your dreams into fulfillment, in His own way and in His own time”.

             This is the heart of the matter. In our own situation, it actually took many years for some of our dreams to come true, but the beautiful thing was, that when they came about, they were far better than we had dreamed. But, if we had not sincerely handed them over to God in the first place, we would never have grown up, never have learned to trust our Heavenly Father, never learned the real value of prayer.  We would have been like a child wanting flowers but with seeds kept tightly balled up in her fists and not willing to plant them in the earth.

Look at your list again. Have you included everything that is truly a desire of the heart? Remember, that after the dreams have been tested, the final step is to give them away, back to the ‘giver’ and the ‘keeper of dreams’, where He can amend, change or correct them in any way He wishes.

This principle can seem relatively easy when it involves material things, or character issues.

But what if it involves the very life of a loved one, the salvation of a family member, the desire for a life’s partner or a job to support a family? Giving away such a dream can equate to ripping your heart out, like we’re trusting God for our very breath.

But once the great surrender has been made, God starts to work, and miracles happen.

Welcome to the real adventure of faith.

Day Dream Believer

I clearly remember the day I went from being a day dreamer to a ‘day dream believer’. I found a sheet of writing paper in my Bible on which I had written my dreams, many years before, and had forgotten all about. There were nine items on the paper. All but 2 had come true, and those came about later on.

How had this happened?

It had all begun10 years previously. Barry and I had read an old book on prayer called “I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes” by Glenn Clark (1953). Some books can change you life…this one did for us.

There is a chapter in the book called “Dreams That Come True” and it challenged us to write down our dreams on paper. This is not as easy as it sounds.

As long as our dreams remain “out there” somewhere, they are relatively obscure, and safe. But the minute we take up a pen to write them down,  we make them real, and feel some sort of commitment to them. Worse still, they can taunt us with their seeming impossibility.

Another hindrance to this step for many people (us), is the belief that dreams are usually selfish or worldy, and therefore not to be entertained by serious Christ followers. Are we not called to die to all selfish desires??

The chapter begins :

“Two gates there are for dreams”, said Penelope to Odysseus after his 10 years’ of wandering had ended. “One made of horn and one of ivory. The dreams that pass through the carved ivory delude and bring us tales that turn to naught: those that come through polished horn accomplish real things whenever seen”.

Whenever a dream comes forth from the ivory gate that is carved and made by man, shaped and twisted by his wish-thinking, his prejudices and half-formed opinions, it always falls to the ground as worthless: but whenever it comes forth from the gate that God has made – that dream always comes true. I know because I have tried it”’

So have we.

There is a way of testing our dreams, whether they be of horn or ivory, and we made that journey over a period of several days.

But more of that next week. In the meantime, I challenge you to get a piece of paper and pen (pencil if you’re still feeling dubious!) and write out your dreams.

Whatever comes to mind, write it: things you’d like to do or become, things you’d like to have, places to go, events to happen

Write it.