“6 Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. 7 When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. 8 So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. 9 During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.” Acts 16 6-10
What are your dreams? We all have them. You know those pesky yet exciting thoughts that constantly run through the back of our minds? Those are what dreams are made of!
For some people, dreams preoccupy almost every ounce of free time they have. Maybe you can relate because you were the kid in school who would daydream all day – I surely never did that. Or, maybe you are the employee who always has fresh vision and new direction! Regardless of where you stand, something we all can agree with is that dreams are special.
Dreams are a very real part of our human experience. As I look at my life, it has been full of dreams. I have had dreams about where I would live, what I would do, starting a family and more. If you are reading this, chances are that your life has been filled with dreams as well.
We all have desires, and aspirations, and things that we want to see happen. And this is good! In fact, it is Biblical. God wants us to dream, and cast vision, and create plans for how we steward our lives and the leadership he gives us.
What are your dreams? We all have them. You know those pesky yet exciting thoughts that constantly run through the back of our minds? Those are what dreams are made of!
For some people, dreams preoccupy almost every ounce of free time they have. Maybe you can relate because you were the kid in school who would daydream all day – I surely never did that. Or, maybe you are the employee who always has fresh vision and new direction! Regardless of where you stand, something we all can agree with is that dreams are special.
Dreams are a very real part of our human experience. As I look at my life, it has been full of dreams. I have had dreams about where I would live, what I would do, starting a family and more. If you are reading this, chances are that your life has been filled with dreams as well.
We all have desires, and aspirations, and things that we want to see happen. And this is good! In fact, it is Biblical. God wants us to dream, and cast vision, and create plans for how we steward our lives and the leadership he gives us.
Yet when looking at our lives, something we can learn pretty quickly is that our dreams and God's dreams don't always line up. They don't always come together how we want them to. So as a result, we can find ourselves angry and upset with God. Therefore, the question that we have to grapple with is how do we respond when God's dreams aren't the same as ours? What do we do? How do we move forward?
To answer this question, all we need to do is look at our text this week. This week we have been studying Acts 16, and in Acts 16:6-10, we find Paul and some of his friends outside of a place called Bithynia. And something the text tells us, is that Paul had not yet gone into Bithynia before to preach. In fact, he had never even been to Asia! And so when Paul got to the gates of Bithynia, he was ready to go in! He had been dreaming of the day. He wanted to see the gospel spread and people receive the gift of salvation.
Paul had this desire deep within him growing each and every day. Yet as he and his companions approached the city, something big happened. The text says, “When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to.”
Paul had finally gotten to where he wanted to go. He was right at the cusp of attaining his dream to preach to the people. But in the midst of his dreams, God said no. God didn’t allow him and his friends to go into the city they wanted to preach in. And when this happened, you know what Paul and his boys did? The text says they moved on to another city. They went to a place called Troas, and there they set up camp and went to sleep.
But after Paul had gone to sleep, God did another powerful thing — God gave Paul a God dream. In the middle of the night God came to Paul in a dream and the text says, “During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.”
God came to Paul and told him where he needed him to go and when he did that, Paul was willing. He took the vision as a sign, and he allowed his will to be let go, so he could grab onto what God wanted him to do.
And I think this is the path to peace in the midst of life’s greatest dreams and biggest let downs. It is to bring everything before God, allowing him to veto or approve as he sees best. And so I’ll ask again, what are your dreams? What is it that is on your heart today?
Now, let me ask this — are you willing to let His dreams mess yours up? Only you can answer that question for yourself. May we each dedicate ourselves to giving Jesus. All.
To answer this question, all we need to do is look at our text this week. This week we have been studying Acts 16, and in Acts 16:6-10, we find Paul and some of his friends outside of a place called Bithynia. And something the text tells us, is that Paul had not yet gone into Bithynia before to preach. In fact, he had never even been to Asia! And so when Paul got to the gates of Bithynia, he was ready to go in! He had been dreaming of the day. He wanted to see the gospel spread and people receive the gift of salvation.
Paul had this desire deep within him growing each and every day. Yet as he and his companions approached the city, something big happened. The text says, “When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to.”
Paul had finally gotten to where he wanted to go. He was right at the cusp of attaining his dream to preach to the people. But in the midst of his dreams, God said no. God didn’t allow him and his friends to go into the city they wanted to preach in. And when this happened, you know what Paul and his boys did? The text says they moved on to another city. They went to a place called Troas, and there they set up camp and went to sleep.
But after Paul had gone to sleep, God did another powerful thing — God gave Paul a God dream. In the middle of the night God came to Paul in a dream and the text says, “During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.”
God came to Paul and told him where he needed him to go and when he did that, Paul was willing. He took the vision as a sign, and he allowed his will to be let go, so he could grab onto what God wanted him to do.
And I think this is the path to peace in the midst of life’s greatest dreams and biggest let downs. It is to bring everything before God, allowing him to veto or approve as he sees best. And so I’ll ask again, what are your dreams? What is it that is on your heart today?
Now, let me ask this — are you willing to let His dreams mess yours up? Only you can answer that question for yourself. May we each dedicate ourselves to giving Jesus. All.
By Kyle Smith
Join in Every Saturday Morning at 6:30am PST for Saltworks Podcast
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