On Dreaming With God

Numbers 24:3-9 (NLT) “This is the message of Balaam son of Beor,the message of the man whose eyes see clearly, ⁴ the message of one who hears the words of God, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who bows down with eyes wide open: ⁵ How beautiful are your tents, O Jacob; how lovely are your homes, O Israel!  ⁶ They spread before me like palm groves, like gardens by the riverside.  They are like tall trees planted by the Lord, like cedars beside the waters.  ⁷ Water will flow from their buckets;  their offspring have all they need.  Their king will be greater than Agag; their kingdom will be exalted.  ⁸ God brought them out of Egypt; for them he is as strong as a wild ox.  He devours all the nations that oppose him, breaking their bones in pieces, shooting them with arrows.  ⁹ Like a lion, Israel crouches and lies down;  like a lioness, who dares to arouse her?  Blessed is everyone who blesses you, O Israel, and cursed is everyone who curses you.”

OBSERVATION
These are God’s dreams, what He desires to do, for His people.  He wants to lavish prosperity, peace and grace upon them – blessing upon blessing on His beloved.  I can imagine God closing His eyes and envisioning all of His dreams coming to pass – His people returning love for love, trust for trust, grace for grace – giving everything in return for the all He provides – embracing Him as Father, Protector, Redeemer, Beloved.  How His heart must yearn for this!

Sadly, what He dreams for us is rarely what we allow Him to deliver.  He asks us to trust Him absolutely, but His people (we) are inconsistent in our response, sometimes obedient, trusting, listening, wanting only to please Him and sometimes wandering hearts, easily distracted, making our own rules, choosing our own ways, gratifying our own pleasures at the expense of wounding Him.  So, because His patient endurance and mercy far surpasses mine (or, be honest, yours) He made provisions for redemption, repentance, restoration, but knowing that He is slow to anger and full of mercy, we play the odds as we gamble with the temptations that become transgressions that become barriers that we find it difficult or impossible to overcome on our own.  Still, He reaches His hand over the barriers and beckons us to let Him rescue, restore and fulfill His dream for us – because He is not willing to let His dreams die.

IMPACT ON ME

Who is this God that has such vast oceans of love, loving kindness as a flood, grace and peace like mighty rivers, Who would give His own Son so that He can reach over the barriers we ourselves constructed in order to draw us into His dream for us?  He is the One Who calls us His beloved, even though we stand soul-naked without excuse and our hands empty before Him.

I did not understand that a personal relationship with Jesus was possible until I was 32.  I had grown up in a church that taught me faithfulness, humility, reverence for God and spiritual authority, but God Himself was distant and stern.  I had tasted the world and its pain enough to recognize what a glorious gift salvation is and marveled at the new understanding of the kind of relationship God desired with me (us).  I have never looked back.  I want to be an instrument in bringing God’s dreams for me and others to reality – on earth as it is in Heaven. 

PRAYER

Holy God, Creator, Redeemer, Advocate, All-Powerful Lord, I want to enter into your dreams for me and help others to do the same.  By Your Holy Spirit, let me be one “whose eyes see clearly, …one who hears the words of God, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who bows down with eyes wide open” so I may walk only in Your ways, serve faithfully and continuously bring joy to Your heart.  Truly may we see it be on earth as it is in Heaven. In Jesus’ name, make it so.