Scripture:
“God can do anything, you know--far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.” Ephesians 3:20 MSG
“Because you’re not yet taking God seriously,” said Jesus. “The simple truth is that if you had a mere kernel of faith, a poppy seed, say, you would tell this mountain, ‘Move!’ and it would move. There is nothing you wouldn’t be able to tackle.” Matthew 17:20 MSG

Being a Dreamer:
I am a dreamer. When I was a little girl, I wore the same ballet tutu every day for a year dreaming of becoming a ballerina before I was old enough to take a dance class. When I was in middle school hearing authors come and talk about their books at the library, I dreamt of a day when my name would be on a book cover, and I started to practice my signature for future book signings. Even now, I curate Pinterest boards filled with images of renovated vans to travel the country in, the bohemian decorated house of my dreams, and excessive photos of surreal camping views in the mountains.
As adults, I think a lot of us grow out of our dreams. We start to pick careers based on a salary or pick places to live based on what’s practical or even silence and push down those dreams in our hearts because of the voices of realism or even worse, what other people think we should do.
Right now I’m reading the book Start by Jon Acuff. He mentions a study in his book that found people who were dying shared a common regret. The number one thing they regretted was an unfulfilled dream or in other words, not having the courage to do something that was true to who they really were.
Mary Oliver wrote, “the most regretful people on earth are those who felt the call to creative work, who felt their own creative power restive and uprising, and gave it neither power nor time.”
What does God say about Dreams:
So, what does God say about dreams and desires we have for our life? How do we avoid that horrible regret of feeling like our life is one of an unfulfilled promise? How do we give our calling the time and power it deserves in our life, without it becoming an idol?
Here are some things I know to be true of our God. He is a good Father and He is always capable of fulfilling all of our dreams. He’s also a kind God, and a generous God. He gives us more than we deserve, and is a God of abundance and blessing. He has authority over all things, which means He can give us all things. He can fulfill all of our dreams easily, but will He?
This is a complex question.
When I look to the Word of God and who God reveals Himself to be, I think He loves dreams. I think He deeply desires us to have that same spirit we had as kids when we said, “I want to be a ballet dancer!” before ever stepping foot in a dance studio. I actually think it honors God when we ask for wild, crazy things because what we’re doing is telling Him, “I believe you have authority over this, I think you can accomplish this unrealistic, or impossible thing I’m asking for.”
Authority and Surrender:
At the same time, as we ask with the knowledge and recognition of God having full authority over all things, even that mountain in Matthew 17, we have to be fully surrendered to the will of God. We have to trust in His sovereign plan, and know that some dreams and desires we are praying for might not even be scratching the surface of what God has in store for us, but His plan is better.
Sometimes, we can pray for things knowing we are already praying within the will of the Father. How? We look to the scriptures. Jesus was the manifest will of God, meaning, anything He did or said was within God’s will and we can be confident that anything we pray for that is in line with who Jesus is, is within God’s will. Aka you can confidently ask God for provision, for peace, for healing, for blessing, for community and more because you know these are things God desires for you too.
A heart of surrender is what leads to true contentment though. Sometimes we pray for the same thing continuously before we see it answered, or we might be in a season now where we are asking for the same thing every day, and we still haven’t received our breakthrough. To be content in this, we have to have a right relationship with the Father and that should be fulfillment enough. The focus cannot be on what God does for us, it has to be on who God is to us. It has to be built on a deep relationship of trust and intimacy that allows us to wait, to be still, and to appreciate living in the waiting for all the promises that are yet to come.
God is a God of more than enough. He’s a God of abundance, and of blessing. He’s a God who turns water into wine, and provides more than enough. He’s a God who throws a party for the prodigal son with an abundant celebration and a feast. He’s a God who gives eternal life freely to anyone who asks, all of us being undeserving of that gift.
God promises more than we can imagine. Maybe, like me, you have a wild imagination. Or maybe you need to challenge yourself to dream bigger today. Can I challenge you to not stop at the dreaming though? I think often, when we are wrestling with why things aren’t “going our way” it’s because we aren’t stepping into it. We have access to the God who has authority over all things. I love the message translation because Jesus says, if you were taking God seriously, you’d be able to tackle anything.
Praying from Authority:
When we know the truth that God has authority, we pray from that place. We know He has authority over all things, all impossibilities we might face, and then we have the confidence to tackle anything in our prayers, in our relationships, in our careers, and in our actions.
We aren’t inconveniencing God with our wildly detailed day dreams. Don’t approach Him timidly, afraid to ask for too much. He already knows the grand visions you have for your future that are floating around in your head.
We honor Him by asking for big, crazy things because really we are saying we are confident in our position as sons and daughters and we are certain of the authority He has over all things. I’m literally not talking about this in a metaphorical way—I’m telling you what the scripture says is to pray for things that go against the natural order of the world. Why? Because God was the One who made the order.
His dreams for our lives are bigger than our dreams for our lives. His way is better, and it’s a promise He keeps. Maybe the regret we would have upon dying wouldn’t be regretting not having the courage to start pursuing our dreams, but regretting not to ask God for what we desire with certainty in His authority.
Nothing is unmanageable for God. Don’t pray timidly or pray small. Position yourself in the truth that you can approach God with big, childlike dreams. I don’t think God feels inconvenienced or bothered by crazy, specific requests or the big hopes and dreams we have, so big we’re afraid to admit them to our closest friends over coffee. I think His Spirit is nudging us gently, come on, dream bigger, I can do anything.
Journaling Prompts:
-Write out your biggest, craziest, most specific dreams. Ask God for them while reminding yourself He can do anything!
-Is there an area of your life where you don’t feel like God has authority? Reflect on ways you easily trust in God’s authority, and areas where you fail to do so.
-Write about areas of your life where you naturally request moves of God. Take note of any areas you don’t imagine or request things of God in. Challenge and stretch yourself to pray in ways you might typically shy away from.
Prayer:
Hey Lord, help us to dream with you and to submit our dreams to you. Send your Holy Spirit to guide us as we dream. Help us to pray in a bold spirit, to know you have even bigger dreams for us than we do for ourselves. Allow us to receive your dreams for us, and the permission you have given us to dream knowing you are capable of all things. Amen.
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