Unfulfilled Dreams

Solomon speaks of the desire of King David to build a temple for the Lord, and of God’s response: “Now it was in the heart of my father David to build a house for the name of the Lord. But the Lord said…“You did well that it was in your heart. Nevertheless you shall not build the house…” (I Kgs. 8:17-19). God approves of David’s desire, but it is not His will for him.

David’s experience seems to fly in the face of the trite saying of a popular preacher, “If you can dream it, you can do it.” We may have many perfectly fine dreams and ambitions that will never be brought to fruition. A godly desire is not equivalent to the will of God. But how do we sort out the difference?

The difficulty for us is that the Lord does not usually communicate directly now, as He did with David. Here are some practical suggestions on how to distinguish God’s will for us from what is merely a dream or a commendable desire:

1. It ought to conform to the standards and principles of God’s Word. That first of all. Anything less is unworthy of the child of God.
2. It ought to be a persistent desire over time, not a passing whim or notion.
3. We should pray earnestly for direction, and that God will close the door if it is not His will for us.
4. We should seek the counsel and prayers of godly Christian friends who know us well.
5. We usually should be able to see some connection between our desired goal and the gifts or experiences God has given us so far–though sometimes that connection is not evident until we look back at a later time.
6. We should take a first tentative step and see if the Lord gives peace about it, and if He opens the door to the next step.
7. We should be careful not to be possessive of our plans and goals. At any point, God may turn the project over to another for completion (as He did in David’s case).
8. We should realize that God wastes nothing. A heart desire for something that will glorify God can be useful, even if we are not directly involved in its fulfilment. For example, an unfulfilled dream of going to India as a missionary may give the individual greater faithfulness in praying for, and financially supporting, missionary work in that country.