At church today our pastor spoke on the 2nd part of “Boulevard of Broken Dreams: Some Dreams Can’t Come True”. And if this stuff doesn’t make you want to read the Bible, I don’t know what will! The passage he spoke from is 2 Samuel 15-16.
King David is now older, he’s got lots of young adult children and a successful reign as king! To make an amazing and long story short, his first son (and heir to the throne) Amnon rapes his half sister Tamar. Absalom, Tamar’s brother avenges this crime by murdering Amnon. Soon, Absalom decides to take over the throne and overthrow his father’s reign.
David takes his family and his servants and LEAVES the city! He leaves! He packs it up! The priest wants to take the Ark of the Covenant, to show that God is with David. But David won’t do it. He says, “If I find favor in the LORD’s eyes, he will bring me back and let me see it and his dwelling place again. But if he says, ‘I am not pleased with you,’ then I am ready; let him do to me whatever seems good to him.” Sound familiar? Jesus said almost the same thing in the garden before he was arrested & crucified, “Not my will but yours be done!”
David had a choice. He could have stood at the gates of the palace, sword in hand and fought for his RIGHT to the throne. His God-given right, no less. But he knew that fighting, freaking out and panicking would do nothing. So, he let God sort it out. He walked away. If God wanted Him to have the throne, he’d be the king. If God wanted Absalom to be the king, that’s what would happen. David was up for either–he just wanted God’s way to come to pass.
You might know the end of the story, eventually David’s army & Absalom’s army meet in battle. Absalom begins to run away and his head gets stuck in the branches of a tree. David’s men find him and kill him. David the true king enters the city devastated that his son his dead.
What a sad story! But God’s will was done despite the disobedience and rebellion of Absalom. God’s will was done because David got out of the way. It was probably the best-case scenario because David decided not to take matters into his own hands. (as opposed to what happened last week when he took matters into his own hands!)
I kind of struggle with this story & it’s application. I know God has worked out a plan for me. I know He’s got a good plan. But after our last few bad experiences in ministry (our dream), I feel like that original dream has died. And I don’t know what the new one is. I don’t know if I should walk away like David and let our new phase of life just come to us, “if God wills it”. Or should I be seeking out what God wants? I don’t want to be the one who just says, “Well, if it’s His will…” and then waits around for 100 years.
When we have our dreams snuffed out the temptation, our pastor said, was to let this river of anger, hopelessness (or whatever) take over and to be swept away with it. I don’t want to be that way. I know what it feels like to be drug around by others and their demands. I don’t want to be taken for a ride by my own disappointments.
So, the question for you and me is how are we going to react when our dreams die? Will we fight? Will we wait on God? Will we wallow in hopelessness? Live in anger? Cower in fear? Hopefully we will lean hard into the only One who’s ever been in control.
They closed the service with this song. Apparently, this song was written after the writer and his family experienced a miscarriage.
says
I love that song. We did this song during a regular service and a guy in our church who’s wife and youngest daughter just had been killed in a car accident a couple weeks before. It was the first time he had been back to church since the accident. The praise team leader had no idea he’d be there, but had picked this as one of the songs. With this song, as with all of them, I wondered at the words through this bereaved husband’s heart. It did me in.
says
I can’t wait to go check it out! I’ve been waiting for the 2nd part all week. 🙂
Anonymous says
That’s good stuff right there! We are facing a similar situation right now where it feels like death has been put on something we think we’re supposed to do. I’m like you–do you wait, do you step out and pray that God is with you? So for us, for now, we’re waiting until we know that God has called us out. It’s so hard! I don’t want to do the wrong thing either way! I just want what God wants for our lives and I don’t want to mess it up!
says
I just love how God’s Word is LIVING. We are sitting in the SAME service (Probably at different times, though) and God speaks to us in totally different ways according to what we are dealing with! It really is amazing! HE is amazing!
says
Hmmm… It’s tough huh? Deciding when to act and when to wait. I struggle with this daily, but try to act according to God’s word. If I am acting on something I know is God’s will (believing for instance) then I push ahead. If it is something I’m unsure about, I try to wait (like buying a house or car or a big decision about one of the kids or the church …)
says
I’m often one to “step back” and let God do his thing. It’s just those instances when I think I know what’s best… that’s where I struggle. I still let God do his works on his timetable, but I end up becoming bitter at the wait.
Does that even make sense?
says
I was there today! What service were you at? I as at the 11:00. I wish I had been there last week for the first part!
says
It is hardest to wait when it seems nothing is happening! But that is usually the most productive time for God! We just need to be still and know that He is God! That doesn’t mean we should sit back waiting for the lottery of our dream to come true. Keep stepping forward and seek wisdom and until you know better – wait! So hard to do but it is often the way God wants it! He wants us to give Him room to show up! When we ‘make’ it happen, we usually mess it up or cause other problems He never intended us to face! Hard lesson but worth learning! I think this is one of those lessons we learn and then feel we’ve got it to only find it is just as difficult at the next waiting area we come to!
says
I came by via Annie’s blog – great blog you have here 🙂 Ah yes dreams in God, I can think of a few I had when younger and then appeared to vanish, away in a puff of smoke. Pressing times came, changes, and then during a process of refinement (which is never fun during the process!) I started to change and I found that dreams I had years ago are starting to be returned to me and opened up. I believe there is a time to pray in the promises of God and not give up, but there is a time to trust God that what he has said, he will bring about – God’s timing is sooo different to ours and what we understand and sometimes a whole bunch of stuff has to happen over the years, but I feel an assurance now that God will re-route and guide me in the plans he has as I wait on him. It’s taken many years to realise this, but I have such a peace. He does have things in control. Don’t give up on what is in your heart. I journal things down which helps heaps.
says
Really great post, Amanda.
And I loved that song. It’s by Matt (who)? I’d really love to find it and download it.
says
I think his name is Matt Redmon/Redman. I love this song! It’s so true; I didn’t know the story behind the song.
I know what you mean about when to move, and when to wait. It’s such a situation by situation thing. I think we have to really seek God in each situation and let Him guide us through His word. In some, He tells us to fight for what is rightfully ours. In others, He tells us that the battle is His, and we are not to fight. I pray He will give you wisdom in the area of your dream of ministry.
says
Yeah, everyone’s like, “Rah rah rah! Live your dream,” but no one tells you what to do when your dream dies, or you’ve lived your dream but it didn’t work out. I hope your dream is realized.
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