I know a man who dared to follow a dream, because he trusted the Dream Giver. Patrick was in his early twenties, recently converted to Christianity and brimming with a fresh, eager faith. God planted an ambition in that man’s heart and his life was lit up with its pursuit. With a determined purpose and empty pockets, Patrick pulled into the parking lot of Trinity Baptist College in his old white Toyota hashback. By faith, he advanced confidently in the direction of his dream – right through those college doors. He worked his way through school, he ministered, he impacted lives, he graduated and he kept the passion alive. Today, he is a missionary in Iceland reaching a nation with the message of hope in Jesus Christ. There is no other location on the planet where he might find greater joy, because he is situated in the place of God’s calling. Through the power of the Spirit, he continues to set goals, he continues to see the movement of God and he is a man of great contentment.

Like Patrick, so many of us bear the deep-seated tug of God-given dreams in our hearts. These divinely-bourn desires are treasures to be protected, cherished and searched out. As Robert Louis Stevenson wrote, “An aim in life is the only fortune worth finding.”

In our lifetimes, each of us will decide what to do with our treasure. Will we permit the tragedy of missed opportunity and unpursued passion or will we step out in faith trusting the Dream Giver to direct and provide? No matter where you are in the timeline of your lifetime, it is never too late to dream a new dream, stir up an old dream, or set another goal.

Our Savior is so kind that He extends us grace even beyond redemption; He also extends the grace of ambition. Ephesians 2:9,10 explains, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God…For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” (NASB) He strips our lives of condemnation and infuses them with ability and purpose. Your dream, your calling is ensconced in the God-prepared agenda that He has prepared for your life.

What God has called you to, He will equip you for. “Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass.” (Psalm 37:5, KJV) As we seek His face and allow His Spirit to fill us, our impossible dreams begin to seem merely ‘improbable’ and as we see Him most clearly, inevitable. We can trust the Hand of God to empower us, inspire us and contrive our way.

This is not to say, we will not encounter failure or skeptics or sacrifice. More than likely, your dream will cost you something and it will require you to move in faith. We must learn to see failure as progress towards success. We must discipline ourselves to smile kindly at scoffers while keeping the dream alive. We must understand that, sometimes, comfort or familiarity needs to take second place to a greater good.

Follow your God-dream, you can trust the Dream Giver. As you dedicate yourself to your personal mission, remember that God will do for you what He did for Cyrus: “I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron: And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel.” (Isaiah 45:2-3, KJV)

Liz Miller lives in Daphne with her husband Matt and son, Logan. She looks forward to responding to your thoughts, prayer requests and guest speaker invitations, please write to millerfam3@hotmail.com.