When Your Dreams are Delayed

Remember the first time you were excited about a dream for your life?  I mean you could see it and you were pumped!  It was what you lived for, what made you get up in the morning.  The last part of Proverbs 13:12 tells us, “A dream fulfilled is a tree of life.”  It is a high like none other to see your dreams fulfilled.  But what if the dream doesn’t seem like it is ever going to be fulfilled?  What if the dream is delayed?  What if you have lost hope in the dream?  The first part of Proverbs 13:12 says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick.”  Perhaps you’ve hoped, planned, prayed, and sacrificed but the dream still eludes you.  What do you do when your dreams are delayed?

First you must ask yourself if your dreams are God’s dreams for you.  Is what you are spending your time, talents, treasure, and life on God’s plan for your life?  Scripture reminds us that God knows the plans He has for us (Jeremiah 29:11-12).  His plans are perfect and He wants to give you a great future and hope.  He never promised us it would be easy or without problems though.  In fact, He said we would have trouble in this world.  The good news is that He has overcome the world so we should be of good cheer (John 16:33).  If you are a Christian you must remember that everyone born of God overcomes the world (1 John 5:4).  We don’t overcome because of some special fairy dust He sprinkles on us when we are saved.  We overcome because of the previous verse - we keep His commands (1 John 5:3).  If you aren’t keeping God’s commands then don’t expect God to bless your plans because they probably aren’t His plans.  You can’t just ask God to bless your plans – you must find out His plans and follow them.  Then you will be blessed.

Abraham’s dreams were delayed.  At age 75 God told him he would be the father of many nations (Genesis 17:5).  God changed His name from Abram to Abraham which means “father of many nations.”  Can you see it?  Imagine someone coming up to him at age 99 and saying, “What is your name?”  “Abraham, the father of many nations,” he exclaims.  “Wonderful,” they would reply.  “How many kids do you have?”  “None...yet”.  How many of you would have given up on that dream a long time ago.  Abraham was 100 when he had Isaac, which means “laughter”.   It means laughter because I’m sure they laughed at God about having kids at that age.  If God said you were having a kid at age 100 I’m sure you’d cry, not laugh.  But God delivered the dream in His timing.  Abraham didn’t give up on the dream even when it was delayed.  Romans 4:17 tells us concerning Abraham that God was able to give life to the dead and calls into being things that were not.  Abraham believed in hope and faith (v. 18).  His body was old and as good as dead and Sarah’s womb was also dead (v. 19) but God he didn’t waver in unbelief and strengthened his faith believing God would do what He said He would do.

Even when God asked Abraham to sacrifice His only son Isaac – the one through whom the dream would be fulfilled, Abraham believed and trusted God.  He even said they both would come back (Genesis 22).  Abraham knew that even if killed his son – the dream – God would resurrect him (Hebrews 11:19 says this).  Don’t give up on God’s dream for you even if it looks dead.  God can resurrect dead bones (Ezekiel 37:1-14).  Those bones may have been dead but they weren’t buried.  Don’t give up on the dream God’s put in your heart.  Remember He can even resurrect dead and buried things but only because it will give Him glory and fulfill His will.  Wait on God and love and serve Him with all your heart – that’s the real dream fulfilled.