I stared at the small wooden box marked “DREAMS” in my hands. I was trying to find space in our apartment to store bits and pieces of Christmas décor that we had missed, while packing away our decorations. A hanging tree ornament, a stuffed gingerbread man, lights from a Christmas village set. As I shoved them to the back of a cupboard, my fingers touched the hard wooden box.

My mind drifted back to a church cell group meeting, just after the New Year in 2017. I had suggested we write down our dream for the year and keep it in a box. Each member wrote down their goal and slipped it in, and we sealed it. We laid hands on the box at every prayer meeting thereafter, praying fervently that God would fulfill our dreams.

When Covid reduced our in-person gatherings to zoom meetings, I offered to keep it at my home. And then we forgot. That was 7 years ago.

The following Sunday, I opened the box in their presence and handed out the ‘dream’ slips of paper to each person. Some chuckled, while others laughed out right reading their dreams from 7 years ago. And a few couldn’t even recall writing down their dream.

Over the years, our excitement had waned, our focus shifted, priorities were side swiped by the tyranny of the urgent, and we had stopped praying. Those dreams remained, buried at the back of my cupboard, for 7 years. Almost everyone had to admit they had not reached their goal. My dream was to learn to play the guitar. I was excited until I bought the guitar, then it became a fixture in my living room.

But Why?

• We dreamed.
• We were enthusiastic and started strong.
• We laid hands on the box and prayed.
• But there were no works that followed.

When our dreams and desires are solely focused on serving others and glorifying the King, it becomes a divine dream. The Lord does not crush our dreams, but rather, is waiting to fulfill it. There are so many impossible dreams that became a reality, because God intervened.

Abraham and Sarah dreamed of a son, but were well beyond their child bearing age. Nehemiah was a cupbearer, but dreamed of building the wall around Jerusalem. Joseph literally had a dream that people would bow down before him. All of these people were met with seemingly insurmountable obstacles, and opposition.

Abraham and Sarah were overcome with doubt because of delay, and tried to add human effort to a prophetic utterance. Nehemiah and his men held a sword in one hand and built with the other, to withstand Sanballat and his men, who mocked, discouraged, and threatened them with false accusations. Joseph’s dream looked like it was hijacked by his brothers’ actions, but God turned it around for His glory.

So, what dreams have you buried under careers, responsibilities, family and ministry work? Was there a season you started strong but gave up because of a lack of resources, encouragement from others or the magnitude of the dream made you feel it will never come to fruition?

This month, let’s go back and unearth those goals that have been buried. Bring it to God and pray. Ask Him how it can be used to serve His people and edify the body of Christ.

Anything is possible when we invite the Lord to work through our dreams. It is with Him, in Him, through Him and most importantly for Him, that we can fulfill our dreams.

In His Service,

Sohani Faria
Director
Sound of the Lord Mission