Trust God and his dreams for you

Mark Twain is known for his pseudonym, his novels and his one-liners.

One of his many famous quips is: "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

This line, delivered in countless graduation speeches and printed on coffee mugs, inspires big dreams and in the middle of May creates dreams of moving to ocean. Sun. Warmth. The sounds of waves rolling into shore. (I think I need a vacation.)

Dreams are not privileged luxuries. Before the first day of kindergarten boys and girls are challenged to voice their dreams. "What do you want to be when you grow up?" A firefighter. A policeman. A veterinarian. A mom. Luke Skywalker! Dreaming, like eternity, has been placed in the heart of man. (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

Nehemiah's dream was birthed out of passion to change the way things were to what they should be. His dream, cemented in his heart by God, was not of power, position, influence or even building a name in history. His dream was to bring glory the Lord and restore dignity to the people by rebuilding the city walls. A dream that required months of spiritual preparation, and travel. A dream that in fifty-two days of construction endured countless jeering, false accusations, threats to his life.

Perhaps one of the reasons the great life we dream of, the life that seems to be missing is that we don't trust God to author that dream. Or if the big dream has been laid we decide not to trust in his power and grace to face incredible barriers bringing those dreams to reality. After fifty-two days the people of Jerusalem and the surrounding world looked at the wall that was once rubble, gates standing were nothing was before and said "wow, only God could have done that."

God can do amazing things through people who are willing to seek him, dream and risk deeply when they follow in obedience.

What are the dreams that he is placing and cementing in your heart? Dreams of what could be. Dreams of what should be.

From the moment the dream was birthed, he understood that only by grace and the power of God would this dream become reality.

Rob Hurtgen is a husband, father, minister and writer. Read more from him at www.robhurtgen.wordpress.com.