God wants good dreams to come true for you.

   Does God want good dreams to come true for us?  Facing tough circumstances recently, this questioned was pondered by me this week.  At a Christian men’s retreat in Maryland in 1996, I listened to a wise speaker, Dick Foth, claim that God wants good dreams to come true for everyone.  Was he correct?  He was not talking about fortune and fame ambitions which benefit an individual alone.  He was talking about good dreams, dreams which bless others as well as yourself; dreams which are shared with God.
   Now the primary objective Jesus has for you is not merely going for your dreams!  The objective of following Jesus is to love people and carry out what is termed the Great Commission.  Yet this is not done in some standard method.  No, the call is for you to carry out your witness of Christ in a personal way where ministry calling and dreams merge.  Now there is sacrifice.  The pursuit of any good dream in this world which is marred by sin will require sacrifice.  And in following Jesus you will suffer!  It is a subject many ministers like to avoid, yet it is inevitable for the person following Jesus, the One who calls His disciples to take up their cross, as it states in Mark 8:34.  Praise be to God there is hope amidst the suffering, there is goodness which comes to other people and even ourselves as we submit to God’s will, and there are ultimate dreams which are going to come true for all followers of Jesus in heaven.
   My journals over the past eighteen years have consistently contained repetitive petitions, proceeded by Thanksgiving, for three prayer requests.  Really, they have been three dreams.  One has been to be married, the other has been for a career ministry position, and the third has concerned different writing endeavors at different times.  Instead of going into the details of those three dreams over the past eighteen years, I will write here how God led me to Colorado Christian University, and enabled me to succeed there.  Doing such furthered my writing dream and opened the door for a career ministry position to be gained, though I have yet to receive that.  The marriage dream, the one that has always been the most major dream, has still not come true.  Yet I am in such a great position in my heart for such having been improved by God so much these past twenty-four years, and being so incredibly prepared for a career has put me in a great position for marriage.  Yet all details aside regarding God's preparation for marriage, having waited so long to be married, I can say that it is only because of Jesus that I never lost hope.
   I suggest for you now to take your journal or diary, or if you do not have a journal or diary, take a piece of paper, and write down a dream you have.  Sometimes pray with God about that dream.  Is it a dream He gives the thumbs up to?  If so, pray for guidance about how to pursue that dream.  Pray for patience to carry it out.  Pray all along for His help.  If the dream comes true, likewise write that down.

   I saw the four great grandchildren of Maria and Captain Von Trapp perform in 2008.  That concert was incredible.  For fun I close with a link to them performing one of my favorite songs on request for a group of hikers on a mountain side.  They were hiking with Jack Hanna, their friend from when they were living in Montana.  They still perform, now singing more of their own works.  Here is a classic video in my book by the Von Trapp Family Singers!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZodl0lDYdc

and I have to add a great second video by them:        

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qj9G_adG8c