New Dreams for a New Year
Cold Monday here in Fort Collins with some light snow. I was able to get out and get in a good workout at the fitness center. So after a few days of being off my normal schedule it was good to “get back at it.” I am trying to process my plans for the coming year and look forward to what the New Year holds. I trust that you will have a good “run up” to the end of this year and face the New Year with a sense of anticipation for the future.
BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” Jeremiah 33:3
I can proudly say that “I have not broken a New Year’s resolution in years!” Then again, I haven’t made a New Year’s resolution in years. For many dreams for the future, for a life are that way. You don’t have to worry about not achieving dreams that you don’t have. And dreams without a goal, can be just…..a good night’s sleep.
It is important for us to “empower our dreams through prayer.” We need to even back up a step and to say, “allow our dreams to be birthed in prayer.” That is what I believe we can see in the familiar verse from Jeremiah 33:3. We have the assurance from the Lord that if we call, He will answer, and He will show us great and might things, that are beyond our comprehension. What you will find is that God-birthed dreams, require God-sized faith and God-dependent trust.
So we find that prayer can give birth to our dreams and give us the confidence that what we dream for our life is in line with God’s will for our life. Then we need to understand how prayer empowers our dreams.
Paul said, “Do not be anxious about anything, but pray about everything….” Philip. 4:6 (NLB) As we do that we find that prayer empowers our mission in life. Often we apply that to organizations but it is important for individuals to think through their life mission.
Prayer empowers our motives. When the resurrected Christ addressed the Church at Ephesus, He called them to “return to their first love…” If we don’t understand why we are doing what we are doing, or if we don’t understand why we have the dreams for our life that we do, it just might be copying someone else. It might be out of pride or even insecurity. Staying close to our source, helps us to make sure we are doing the right thing for the right reason.
Prayer empowers our means. “…God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” Philip. 4:19 How we do what we do is as important as why. Do we trust in our own wisdom, abilities or resourcefulness? God-size dreams, require God-given resources. That may come in wisdom, favor and other resources of finances and divine connections that provide the pathway for your dream to be fulfilled.
I know this is something that I need as the New Year comes our way and believe there are many more in the same situation.