Weekly Devotional: Our Dreams: Fulfilling and Surpassing

Ephesians 3:20-21, Isaiah 40:4-5, Psalm 136

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us

-Ephesians 3:20

“I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; ‘and all the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.'”

– Martin Luther King, Jr.

Many of us must have stood on stage in our elementary school days, reading this passage to the parents in the audience; we repeated these words in a small timid voice that even a microphone could hardly pick up. It was nothing compared to Martin Luther King Jr.’s voice that was filled with passion and fervor that can be felt even through a fuzzy, muffled YouTube video today.

When MLK spoke these words, it was not out of fear; it was out of boldness and passion. His captivating speech is a true embodiment of God’s work when we hand over our dreams to Him. MLK had a dream and God is fulfilling it beyond his imagination.

Overcoming Fear

There is a lot of fear in our dreams. We are scared that our dreams cannot be achieved the way that we want it to be done. We fear letting down our families, friends and even ourselves.

Sometimes, the fear of failure is much greater than the actual failure itself. But failure comes about when we miss the mark of God’s desires for us. We need a constant and daily reminder that God’s love never fails; it is all that we are able to know, without fault, that won’t let us down (Psalm 136).

When we are in the midst of God’s plan it is sometimes hard to see his work. Our selfish desires and ambition get in the way and fog the bigger plan. We are narrow-minded when it comes to the vastness of God’s plan. Paul refers to this short-sighted plan in the letter to the Ephesians.

Out of the Box

There is the common saying that humans put God in a box. We think little. Humanity likes to think that we have all the answers and are creative beings, and so we value skills such as creativity. It’s such a valued skill nowadays because we have trained ourselves to think out of the box.

From a very early age we are told to be creative and to think larger. As kids we even watched a TV show entitled “Out of the Box.” Can you hear the theme song playing in your head? The whole show was about being creative and thinking outside of our limits.

No matter how big we dream though, they are kept in a small box compared to all that God has in store for our lives. Why do we resist God who is the creator of the world? He has the ultimate creative plan.

The beauty of Christianity is that God loves us individually and as a whole body. God is less concerned with fulfilling your own dreams and more concerned with His dreams for you coming into fruition.

May the creator of the universe be ever present in your heart, in forming your dreams, and transforming your minds; so that your life may forever bring glory to Him and Him alone.