I find it kind of funny, but also incredibly humbling, that I trudged through 2018 with disappointment staring me down, and now the phrase, “You have far exceeded my expectation of…” is what’s swirling around in my mind. Again, I find myself repeating, “You’re good and You’re faithful,” over and over in worship in response to the truth He’s opened my eyes to. He far exceeds all of my expectations.
God is good and He is faithful. You cannot separate those characteristics from Him. It’s who He is. He cannot help but be a God who exceeds what we thought would happen or what we’ve dreamed. And I have found that some of the dreams He answers are the ones that have stayed silent in my heart and have never been uttered. He knows. He knows me. He knows the desires of my heart.
Believe me, there are plenty of dreams I have that I am waiting to see unfold, and I’d be lying if I said I’m always patient with waiting on them. The tension I have currently found myself in is the tension of finding the balance between surrendering the desire to the Lord and still dreaming about what will be. The balance is needed because I will lay down the desire at His feet, continue to stare at it, and pick it back up because He’s not moving on my timeline. That’s not how it works and I think I finally see that!
We were wired for relationship with Him. We were designed to seek Him and commune with Him and dream with Him. He’s safe to dream with. The dreams and desires that we have come from Him. He’s put them in us to further His kingdom AND the more we seek Him and know Him the more our desires mirror His. I know the desires I have, and I know there is no way I’d come up with them on my own. He’s put them in me and He is faithful to see them through.
Never doubt God’s mighty power to work in you and accomplish all this. He will achieve infinitely more than your greatest request, your most unbelievable dream, and exceed your wildest imagination! He will outdo them all, for his miraculous power constantly energizes you.
EPHESIANS 3:20 – TPT
He is good and He doesn’t dangle the dreams and desires we have in front of us, just out of our grasp. He doesn’t put dreams in our heart that are impossible to fill. Without Him, yes, they more than likely are impossible. He set it up that way; that we would need Him to do what we were created to do. He puts the impossible dreams in front of us so we can cling to Him and watch Him bring the impossible into possible. He will far exceed anything we could do in our own strength. He’s the God of abundance.
I believe that, for some of us, we have even received prophetic words confirming or bringing to light the dreams and desires we have. God has made known to us that we can be on the same page. Why do we doubt? Why do we doubt that He would be able to fulfill what He’s promised? Why do we allow our idea of how things should go to dictate the way we see God? He’s a faithful God and He has good plans for us. The only reason I doubt is because it doesn’t go my way. I don’t think that’s a good enough excuse to doubt the Giver of dreams. If He spoke it, He’ll do it. All He needs is your surrendered life.
When I sit and think about all that I have – relationships, responsibilities, material things, even the lessons I’ve learned – I can honestly say He has exceedingly surpassed what I expected to have or wanted. He has poured out blessing upon blessing.
Blessing after blessing comes to those who love and trust the Lord. PSALMS 40:4b – TPT
It is my goal to get to the place where, with my whole heart, I can say, “Even if you didn’t do another thing for me, you did enough on the cross.” Even if the dreams I have don’t come to pass, He is enough. He is far more than enough.
I say this as a declaration of hope and as an invitation to dream with God. Learn to delight in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart [Psalms 37:4]. He’s good and He’s faithful and He always has been. There are no grounds to doubt Him.
Morgan Dietz - Lead Administrator - Praise Community Church
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