God's Dream For You

"Cheer up, Zion! For the LORD your God has arrived to live among you."  Zephaniah 3:16


God is a dreamer.  He has BIG plans and BIG dreams.  He doesn't give up easily, and He never gives up for good.  I wouldn't say that all of His dreams come true, but that doesn't stop Him from dreaming them.  And He's not afraid to share His dreams.  

I've been reading things in the Old Testament lately, specifically during the time prior to the people of Judah being exiled to Babylon and returning to Israel seventy years later.  God delivers two types of prophecy through His messengers.  First He lays out the dream: The way He wants things to be.  The way it could be if everyone listens to His instructions and is obedient to His ways.  Many of these passages are familiar to us in a "heavenly future" sense.  Like God is talking about something that isn't possible on this earth but will magically happen in His "heavenly" Kingdom.  Things to give us hope for after this life is over, but not something to expect before then.

The other type of prophecy falls into the category of what happens because no one listens.  Warnings about what's coming if the disobedience continues.  And it's horrible stuff.  Things that certainly should give the people the incentive to change their ways, but for the most part, they don't.  But even these "doomsday" prophecies aren't the final word.  God doesn't end the story there.  He says, 'Yes, these horrible things will happen, but "The LORD Almighty has not forsaken Israel and Judah.  He is still their God, even though their land was filled with sin against the Holy One of Israel." (Jer. 51:5)  "Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel.  Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem!  For the LORD will remove his hand of judgement and will disperse the armies of your enemy.  And the LORD himself, the King of Israel, will live among you!  At last your troubles will be over, and you will fear disaster no more." (Zeph. 3:14-15)

We see these things happening later too.  Not in an "afterlife" way, but in an earthly kingdom way.  God speaks to the kings of Persia after they conquer the Babylonians, and the Persian kings set God's people free to go back to their homeland.  In fact, they give the freed exiles everything they need to return and rebuild the Temple of God in Jerusalem!  The new generations return and rebuild the Temple and enjoy a time of peace in their land as some of their ancestors who followed God.

The best way to describe the way God functions during this time is this: "Let's try this again.  Same rules as before.  Same promises as before.  Same warnings as before.  Same choice as before: Listen and live; Don't listen and...But I really want you to listen!"

I was thinking today about what happens when Jesus comes on the scene.  The last report we have about the people of Israel is they have rebuilt the wall around Jerusalem to protect the city and the rebuilt Temple, and the people are living in obedience to God.  400 years pass before Jesus is born in Bethlehem.  Israel is now under the rule of the Romans and the Jews are facing oppression.  The current king of Israel is not a God-fearing man, the religious leaders are corrupt and placing heavy burdens on the people, the poor and needy are "like sheep without a shepherd".  (Mark 6:34)

From God's promise of prosperity and peace for the ones who obey, we know this generation was falling short.  They were on a dangerous course leading to eventual destruction and exile, but before that can happen, God intervenes, not only with a promise of salvation if they turn things around, but a means of salvation even if they don't.  This is new.  This is God saying, "Let's not go through all that again.  I know where this is headed, and I'm going to step in.  This Temple and this city are going to fall again, but before that happens, I'm going to give the people a new way to return to the Promised Land and remain forever secure.  Not with their righteousness, but with Mine.  With My love, My mercy, and My grace, I will rescue them.

Jesus comes to share the good news. "Change your thinking!  God's got a new plan.  A new dream.  A new covenant!  You are headed in the wrong direction, but still, the Kingdom is near.  In fact, it's here among you.  Cheer up, Zion!  Don't be afraid!  For the LORD your God has arrived to live among you.  He is a mighty savior.  He will rejoice over you with great gladness.  With his love, he will calm all your fears.  He will exult over you by singing a happy song." (Zeph. 3:16-17)

The gospels tell us that Jesus proclaimed the good news to all the towns and villages in Israel, from Jerusalem to Galilee to his hometown of Nazareth.  He raised up disciples to travel with him and sent them out to share the message too.  He backed up His credibility by healing the sick and driving out demons.  He told stories of hope and shared His dream of this new Kingdom.  God's Kingdom.  A place of prosperity and rest and love and peace.  A perpetual life-altering, heart-altering Kingdom.  

Forty years later, Jerusalem and the Temple fall once again.  The Jewish Nation at large: the kings, priests, and many of the people were living in rebellion to God, and they were driven away from their land into exile just like their ancestors.  Since that time, 2000 years later, the Temple has never been rebuilt.  But it doesn't need to be.  God's dream went beyond a Promised Land and a Temple City.  It went beyond a place where people could worship Him, be in His Presence, and live in peace and prosperity.  A country is no longer necessary.  A building is irrelevant.  A Holy City is no longer a physical earthly location on a map.  

It's a heart-thing now.  It's wherever you are.  The prophecy given in Zephaniah has taken on new meaning.  God dreamed a bigger dream, and it comes true for those who cheer up, fear no more, and rest secure in His love.  Not "someday" but today.

Are you living the dream?


"I have set the LORD always before me.  Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.  Therefore my heart is glad, and my tongue rejoices...you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." (Psalm 16:8, 9, 11; NIV)

Unless otherwise noted, scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189.  All rights reserved.

Are You Listening?

“I have much more to say to you, more than you can now hear.  But when the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you in all truth.”  John 16:12-13

How many people do you know who are willing to tell you everything about them?  Every detail.  Every failure.  Every hope.  Every dream.  Every piece of truth there is?  And, if by some miracle you can actually name someone, every detail is glorious?

Everyone has faults.  Everyone has moments in their life they would prefer to erase.  Bad choices.  Moments of disobedience.  Times of failure.  It’s part of the human condition.  Our sin nature that none of us are immune to.

But the Good News is Jesus came to bring forgiveness, healing, grace, and hope.  God, in His mercy and kindness toward us, forgives us and is able to transform us into people who are able to live above our human nature by the power of His Spirit living within us.

In John 16, Jesus speaks extensively about the Spirit.  He calls Him the Counselor, the Spirit of truth.  His role is to convict us of sin, teach us righteousness, and remind us the prince of this world (satan) has been condemned.  Living by the Spirit is a powerful way to live, and Paul tells us living by the Spirit will produce much fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control.

Jesus also tells us something else about the Spirit.  In John 16:13, He says, “When the Spirit of Truth comes he will guide you in ALL truth.  He will not speak on His own, He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is to come.”

Jesus says the words of the Spirit will bring glory to Him and be the very words of God. In 1 Corinthians 2:9-10, Paul says it this way: ‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him, but God has revealed it to us through His Spirit.’

How exciting is that!  We can hear what God has to say to us, and He wants to tell us everything about Himself.  He doesn’t want to keep any secrets from us.  He has nothing to hide.  No dark corners.  No skeletons in the closet.  He is glorified when He reveals Himself and speaks the truth, because He is glorious!  He has good things to say.  Things we need to know and understand.  Things about ourselves He wants to bring out in the open so there can be forgiveness and healing.  Things about His heart that will cause us to love Him because He is lovable.

He is love.  He is mercy.  He is truth.  He is grace.  He is holy.  And when we listen and believe and obey, we see how glorious He is.

When we listen.  I think we often live as if we’re waiting for God to speak to us.  And sometimes we must wait for specific guidance and answers to our prayers.  But more often, we’re simply not listening.  He’s declaring His love, but we turn a deaf ear and feel worthless.  He’s telling us what’s right, but we think our own idea and way is better and we make the wrong choice that brings pain.  He asks us to trust Him but we waste our time, energy, and money to chart our own course and take care of ourselves.  He offers wisdom, but we realize too late we never took the time to listen.  He’s trying to teach us something through a difficult circumstance, but we never ask, ‘What are You trying to teach me, Lord?’  We’re being too loud with our whining and complaining and blaming to ever hear why God is trying to get our attention.

In Jeremiah 31, God talks about a new covenant He will make with His people.  He says, “I will put my laws in their minds, and I will write them on their hearts.”  Jesus talked about this covenant when He spoke of the Holy Spirit.

You don’t have to wait for a prophet, rabbi, or pastor to speak to you.  You don’t have to wait for Sunday to hear what God has to say.  You don’t even have to crack open your Bible or wait for one of my epic blogs...or someone truly great.  He will speak to you through His Word when you read it, and He will speak to you through others at times, but if that’s the only way you listen, that limits how much He can say and how much of His glory He can reveal.

Don’t miss a thing.  God speaks TO YOU.  Listen.

“I am the LORD your God who teaches you what is good and leads you along the paths you should follow.” Isaiah 48:17 (NLT)

The Power of Faith

As soon as Jesus heard the news, he went off by himself in a boat to a remote area to be alone.  But the crowd heard where he was headed and followed by land from many villages.  Matthew 14:13 (NLT)




Despair is a powerful emotion.  We've all been in that place of hearing difficult news and feeling overcome with shock, disbelief, grief, and hopelessness.  Jesus had such a moment when he heard about the gruesome death of John: his cousin, partner in ministry, and prophet of God.  John had prepared the way for Jesus' arrival.  John had faithfully followed God's call on his life, and now, like many prophets before him, he was dead.  An innocent, holy man of God was brutally murdered at the wish of a bitter wife, a thoughtless daughter, and a spineless king.


As soon as Jesus heard the news, he went off by himself...


Jesus was popular at this point in His ministry.  Word had gotten around of His power to heal and His amazing teachings, and rumors were flying that He was the Messiah, the one who had come to save them.  To be alone, Jesus had to make a deliberate point to do so.  He had to have a plan.  He couldn't wander off and disappear.  Someone would see Him and He would be followed.  He managed to make it to a boat and set sail, but there was a crowd waiting for Him on the other side.


We know from other accounts of this time that Jesus wasn't actually alone.  His disciples were with Him.  They had just returned from a mission trip to teach about the nearness of God's Kingdom, to heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. (Matt. 10:5-15).  The disciples had returned to tell Jesus all they had done, and Jesus was ready for some solitude after being rather busy Himself--and hearing some difficult news.


We don't know what Jesus did during those hours before they made it to the remote area on the other side of the sea.  We don't know how much time He had.  We don't know what He thought about, what prayers He prayed, what He said to His disciples, if He took a nap, or what His state of mind was.  We know from other times Jesus slipped away from the crowds that He used that time to pray, teach His disciples, and rest.  He probably did all three.  


If Jesus made a deliberate point to seek what He needed for a difficult, heart-wrenching situation, how much more do we need to do the same?


I spent some time last week in a peaceful place.  I went to my childhood home to visit with my large family.  I was there with my three kids, and a lot of us were there at various moments, but I found some time to be alone with the beauty and peacefulness of the country setting surrounding me.  Alone with God, Bible on my lap, pen in hand, writing out verses and thoughts and prayers in my journal as I often do.  God met me there in a unique way as I read about Jesus hearing the horrible news about John and going off by Himself.  


I imagined what Jesus may have done during that time, and I wrote out some ideas, but it wasn't until I read the next part of the story I could see what one of the results of this alone-time was.  At first it seems interruptive, as if His plan didn't work.  He wanted to be alone, He wanted his disciples to rest, but a large crowd was waiting for Him on the other side.  But as I read what Jesus did, I came to a different conclusion.


When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.  As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a remote place, and it's already getting late.  Send the crowds away so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food."


Jesus had a good reason to send them away.  They needed food and He could probably use some rest from the long day and more time alone to cope with His grief.  But He didn't.  I think Jesus was reminded of a few things on the boat ride over.  He may have been feeling weary, defeated, heartbroken, and hopeless in the darkness of a tragic event, but He chose to believe what was true: He could continue on with His ministry despite difficult circumstances.  He couldn't stop now.  His disciples had accomplished some great things, and He had more to teach them.  They needed to believe in the work they still had to do and the power they possessed to accomplish it.


Jesus told the disciples they could feed the people.  They didn't believe they could, so He did it.  He took the little food they had and multiplied it to feed the thousands who were there.  I wonder why they doubted in their ability to do the same?  Hadn't they just returned from a great ministry tour of teaching, healing, and seeing God's power flow through them?  What happened to their faith?


Perhaps they weren't thinking about Jesus' words that way.  They were only thinking about the regular way to get food, not imagining it could happen supernaturally.  Sometimes when things seem completely impossible to us we are more likely to say, 'Okay, this can only happen with God's power,' and we put our faith in Him.  We have no other choice.  But when we know there are other ways, we fall back on the logical way of getting things done.


Jesus could have done the logical thing and sent the people to find food for themselves.  But He didn't.  He put His faith completely in God's power to do the impossible.  He wanted His disciples to do the same.  He wants me to do the same. When Jesus tells me I have the power to do something, no matter how impossible it seems, I can believe Him!


Difficult circumstances cannot stop me.  Pain, confusion, weariness, despair, lack of resources or skill--these are not roadblocks, they are an opportunity for me to exercise greater faith.  And greater faith yields greater results.  


"You of little faith, why did you doubt?"


Jesus always welcomes my faith.  He never says, 'No, you can't do that.  It's impossible.'  He only questions my doubt.


You may have a good reason for being in despair.  You may feel overwhelmed with difficult circumstances or a task that is too great.  You may need to have some time to yourself.  You may need to have some time with God.  You may need to rest awhile.


But don't doubt your ability to carry on.  Don't give up.  Don't stop meeting the needs of others and having compassion.  Don't stop sharing the truth.  Don't stop doing what God has called you to do.  Have faith in who He is and in who He has made you to be.  Have faith to do great things.


I pray that from his glorious unlimited resources he will give you mighty inner strength through his Holy Spirit...By his mighty power at work within us , he is able to accomplish infinitely more that we would ever dare to ask or hope.  Ephesians 3:16,20 (NLT)