How to battle hopelessness...

 

I dreamt last night that I was in a stadium full of people who were challenged to profess the deity of Christ. One by one, they denied Him until I was the only one left. I was so discouraged that I buried the ‘proof’ of it in the ground and woke up feeling entirely hopeless.

I read until this feeling lifted then was reminded of another dream. I’m not a golfer but did have clubs and went out a few times. The dream was about playing a perfect game, even getting a hole in one. I woke up realizing why people golf. It is the hope of doing better the next time, of improving their game. 

Callaway says that each year more than 20 million people play on 13,000 courses in America and many new courses open each year to accommodate those who are hopeful. This is a bit better than describing it as a long walk. Hope is a Bible word where it is not just about a fresh start nor does it have anything to do with my goodness or ability. Instead it is believing in the unchanging promises offered to me by my Savior, Jesus Christ, promises like these: 

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1:3–9)

My realistic dream defined a dark, sad day, but God reminds me that He is true, even in the face of reality, never mind despairing dreams. Hope opens doors that despair slams shut. Hope looks for the good instead of the worst and turns problems into opportunities and fear into faith.

How is it recognized? I once wrote an essay on hope using the smell of cinnamon buns to illustrate that hope is like that; I cannot see the yummy buns but know they are there waiting for me. Yet hope Is no pie-in-the-sky illusion. It does not make me complacent, content to leave the world as it is by thinking about a secure future. Instead, it impels me to take hold of God’s goodness and share it with others, maybe not a stadium full of people but with those God puts in my life. 

Losing hope in a dream is not the same as losing it in reality because reality is the dwelling place of God’s promises. He tells me:

Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, (Hebrews 10:22–24)

PRAY: Jesus, the way to beat this hopeless feeling is to focus on Your faithfulness and how You keep Your promises. Your goodness can turn hearts that seem pleased with their own misery, or those who seem to love their own wickedness. Hope can change the torment of Your conviction into welcome enlightenment, and change the fondness of our sin into a remedy to eradicate it. Your love and grace can make those displeased with their condition into the realization we are unable to raise ourselves from sinner to saint. No matter how far anyone falls, Your goodness can triumph over all blindness and sin and turn anyone from nothing to children of God. This is the hope that enables me to think of ways to encourage others to live for You in the hope that You give. Feeding them sweet buns might open hearts to Your message of hope; however, feeding on Your word fills empty hearts and turns unnecessary despair with joy that You set before me. You give me words to say and actions to do that bring hope to the hearts of others who need it like we all do.

Where do thoughts come from?

Last night I had two totally unrealistic dreams. In one I was golfing with two balls tied together and scored no matter which one went in the cup. The other was at a funeral and the director was scolding me and my sister for not having flowers. He then described what each color and type of flower represented to prove his point. 

Now awake, I wonder where such nonsense comes from. My dad used to joke that dreams depended on what we ate for supper. Someone else told me that if you remember them, they have something to do with unresolved problems. I gave away my golf clubs a long time ago, and have never planned a funeral that left out flowers. Nor did I watch weird shows on television or read related books. Over-tired? Maybe.

Yesterday’s devotional reading was about knowing and deeply thinking about what God says. That does not fit either. However, Piper does quote verses like these:

Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature. (1 Corinthians 14:20)
“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. (Matthew 10:16)
Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything. (2 Timothy 2:7)

Piper says that the Lord gives wisdom about the things He says in His Word, but he also quotes this verse:

For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. (Romans 11:36)

It makes me wonder if my silly dreams are included in “all things” being from Jesus. Could He be saying that the golf dream means I’m trying to play life with twice as much on my to-do list than is necessary? Or that I don’t add joyful thoughts (flowers) to the sad things of life? I must stretch my thinking to come up with metaphors like that. Even if they are accurate, the Lord is able to tell me so with greater clarity.

Piper does say that Jesus is the ground and goal of all thought, or at least He should be. It does not take a great deal of discernment to see that evil or childish thinking is not from Him. I could waste a lot of time and energy with such things as rehearsing how to get even with someone, or having imaginary conversations with people, or in worrying, or in being anxious about getting everything done for today. Far better to rest in God’s thoughts… 

PRAY: and to do that, Jesus, I need to spend time with You, reading and meditating on what You say, submitting to it with all my heart — and my mind. If those odd dreams were actual metaphors from You, then here are two things I need to think about:

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28–30)
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:4–9)

What about dreams?

My dream was about a grandchild and a decision she was making about her future. It woke me, sort of, and my mind seemed to make up the rest of the dream. The story line was perfect and her decision was wise. It was almost like praying rather than dreaming. When fully awake, I prayed for her spiritual life and growth.

The night before, my dream was about a family in trouble who shared with us their severe issues and asked for prayer. I woke and prayed about that too, but felt distress about both dreams. Is this me being anxious or is it God reminding me to pray? I’d not thought about either situation until after the dreams and after becoming fully awake.
Today’s reading began with:

“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. (Matthew 6:34)

Then Piper writes this reminder: “Part of saving faith is the assurance that you will have faith tomorrow. Trusting Christ today includes trusting him to give you tomorrow’s trust when tomorrow comes. Often we feel today like our reservoir of strength is not going to last for another day. The fact is, it won’t. Today’s resources are for today, and part of those resources is the confidence that new resources will be given tomorrow.”

He goes on to say that each day God does not pile anything on His children that we cannot bear. This gives me assurance that He is in charge of even my dreams. The day before, I’d had enough to be concerned about and to pray for, so He put these two things in my mind during the night so I could pray about them before the next day started? Could be, yet Piper also quotes this:

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. (1 Corinthians 10:13)

I would only call the dreams a temptation if they put me in a mind to take matters into my own hands and not pray about them but try to ‘fix’ the problems myself. Writing that dream ending might fall into that category. When I prayed later, I confessed my desire to have my way and prayed instead that God's will be done. I’d like that grandchild to move closer — a selfish desire in that dream, and selfishness was reflected even in the other dream. At the same time, prayers for the people in the dreams, according to the will of God, was not neglected after I was awake.

A blessing came in the reminder that God gives provision of endurance each day. His Word says: “Your bars shall be iron and bronze, and as your days, so shall your strength be.” (Deuteronomy 33:25) Those dreams assured me of one thing — I do not need to be anxious about today or tomorrow either. God will provide all needs.

Apart from the content, dreaming things that produce prayer helps me realize that anxieties can be hiding and I need to pray — rather than having them invade my sleep:

… The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:5–7)

PRAY: Lord, Your promises to finish what You start apply to all Christians. Your perfect will is being done in their lives. If You want me to do anything toward their well-being, You will make that clear. Praying for them is already on that list. Giving them time, attention or whatever else comes to mind, is important. Guide me with Your clear Word and the Holy Spirit, and give me wisdom concerning dreams. In one verse You say that in the last days, Your people will dream dreams, but in another verse You warn about those who rely on their dreams. Don’t allow me to be side-tracked from hearing and doing Your will by anything, including dreams. Amen.

Delivered from frustration . . .

This morning the telephone woke me from a deep sleep and a vivid dream. My hubby took care of the phone as I tried to get my head around the sudden change that was going on. My dream was so real that being in a different place was confusing. I spent several minutes adjusting to the reality of morning and where I was.

Interesting that today’s reading begins with the necessity of Christians to have minds ready to act, thinking soberly and not like a drunk person — or someone who has been dreaming! My hope should always be in the grace that God brings, not on the outcome of a complex dream!

This is what the Bible says:

Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. (1 Peter 1:13–19)

Dream analysis is not my forte except to say that few of them are about spiritual truths; most deal with ‘former ignorance’ stuff, particularly the frustration of not being able to do something because of interruptions or things like dropping books or missing a bus, all a far cry from God’s call to be holy. I especially like the phrase, “ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers” because my dream involved feelings of futility and not being able to accomplish what I was trying to do. This passage tells me that I have been ransomed or purchased by the blood of Christ that delivers me from such frustration.

This ties to the theme of ‘rest’ in Hebrews. That ‘rest’ is a total rest from my own labors in order to do the will of God. It is like a Sabbath rest imitating God who rested after the work of creation, but it goes beyond that. Like every other human, I’ve tried to run my life without God, which is the essence of sin, and Jesus gives me rest from that. He invites me into that rest with these words:

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28–30)

I once did some research on this passage and discovered that the ‘heavy laden’ part refers to a weighty piece of cargo while the ‘light burden’ part that Jesus gives refers to the invoice. In other words, Jesus does not expect me to carry the big loads of life. His rest is not always bodily (it often takes energy to serve Him) but the soul that carries the load that Jesus gives is not stressed and feeling over-burdened. Futility is not part of this picture.

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Lord Jesus, the past week has been physically challenging. An unstoppable nosebleed was bad enough; the cure was and is worse. I feel exhausted, yet the dream I had and Your words to me now show me that I’m taking on a burden that You are not giving me. I need to quit thinking that I must conquer that burgeoning to-do list and let You give me Your lighter burden, one that suits Your plan. Being spiritually ambitious is okay but resting in You is essential. I cannot carry even the invoice unless You have given it to me.

Today’s thankful list . . .

- feeling the lightness of letting Jesus plan my day.

- a nice long visit with a neighbor and quilting buddy who dropped by for tea.

- making it through the day without a long nap.

- getting outside for a few minutes.

- taking time to pray even though I didn’t think I had the time.

- getting some things checked on that to-do list that I didn’t expect would get done.

Do dreams mean anything?

Last night I dreamed of being in a European country and before being allowed to leave, I had to trace every penny I spent to discern the tax I owed. I was given a device much like a credit card-smart phone combination. It started with the beginning of my vacation and gave alternate choices of where I traveled next or what I purchased. If I remembered incorrectly, it kicked me back until I got it right.

This was a frustrating dream. The tax device came with a thick magazine of instructions that read like most tax forms. Other people tried to help me. By the time I woke up, I’d gone through the process so many times that I wanted to toss it and escape to the border.

This morning’s devotional verses brought a chuckle and make a good point:

“In the path of your judgments, O Lord, we wait for you; your name and remembrance are the desire of our soul. My soul yearns for you in the night; my spirit within me earnestly seeks you. For when your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.” (Isaiah 26:8–9)

How much better to yearn for God in the night than to try and escape an almost nightmare of a complicated dream. Not that God is simple, but even without being able to figure Him out, I can still worship Him rather than wanting to pitch any situation I’m in, dreaming or awake, and running away from it.

Sometimes dreams come from puzzles and situations in life. Sometimes, like my father used to say, they come from eating too much pizza! I rarely try to figure out the meaning of my dreams. If they are important, God seems to make that clear. Most of them are silly nonsense and I often wake up laughing aloud.

As for this dream, there is a purpose in God giving me these verses about seeking Him in the night. Some of the psalmists also write of yearning for God in the night. Is the person sleeping or awake? I’ve had a few dreams where God was at work and startled me awake, but most of my encounters with Him are when I am praying and His presence becomes obvious and precious. These are few. These verses heighten my desire to seek Him.

Isaiah says that when God’s judgments are present, then people learn His righteousness. This suggests a rebuke, a correction. It is like God to do that in private, not to make my follies known publicly but to correct and instruct me when I am alone. Nighttime for me is the best time; no distractions and no one else listening.

I didn’t get much from that dream about the complexity of figuring out what I owed in taxes except that I realize how frustrated I am of my complex brain. It is always set on ‘fast and furious’ and makes me tired. God is telling me that I need to focus on Him and more directly seek Him when life comes at me like a freight train. If I must review what I have done, where I’ve spent my resources, far better to do it with His hand holding mine — in the night when He has my full attention. Then I will not feel like running away but be able to slow down and see the righteousness that He is teaching me.

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Jesus, faith in You is never dull. Yet thoughts of You always slow my crazy brain, give me pause, help me rest. If nothing else, dreams like that one last night, and Scripture passages like this one in the morning show me that waiting for You and seeking You are far more profitable than the frantic and frustrating exercise of trying to figure out life’s challenges without You!

My life is strange — and so are my dreams!

God sometimes tests my faith in Him by using dreams. In the dream, I might be tempted by an old way of life and wake up resisting it. I might also dream that I am in sin of one kind or another. God wants to test what I will do with that when I wake up.

At first, I was confused and asked the Lord why I was having these dreams. He asked me if I would rather be tested by these things when I was awake! That makes me shudder. However, He also tells me that many of my dreams are about unresolved issues, things that I still need to deal with and die to.

I had one of those last night. I know it was in God’s plan because when I came to the Bible this morning, I asked Him to give to me what I needed to hear, and this is the passage for today:

“How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 6:2–11)

Tozer comments on the strange life of Christians who realize they are dead to this world and alive to God. He sums up his remarks with this: “Every man must choose his world.” This choice is continually tested.

Not every dream I have takes me into a spiritual battle calling for a decision, but when that happens, God is asking me to choose what world I will live in — the dream world of my old life, a world of sinful desires, of stuff that once was my focus before Christ — or the reality world where I live according to my new life in Him.

It seems a no-brainer yet dreams and imaginations can be controlled (up to a point) whereas following the Lord Jesus Christ means yielding all to Him. I can no longer live for myself and that includes everything: what I eat, where I go, what happens to my money, what others do to me, who I talk to, everything.

However, that old life is not what it seems in a dream. My choices, sinful or not, never work out well, even with best efforts and intentions. Some would say it is a slippery slope. The stuff I might try to control with my imagination fails to bring me the peace and joy enjoyed under the grace of God. Even in challenges and tough times, His grace is sufficient. His joy undergirds and sustains. I’ve a good imagination but have never been able to conjure up the plans and outcomes that God presents to me regarding the issues of life! Walking with Jesus is an adventure.

Tozer says living like this means living moment by moment in the Spirit of God and this will be so different from my former life that I will often be considered strange. How true. I often look at the way He leads and directs and the events and answers to prayer He gives, and I myself consider them strange. Tozer calls such a life other-worldly. The reality is this:

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)

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Jesus, this death/life combo is the answer and the victory for all questions and all tests that come my way, either in dreams or awake. You live in me and I live by faith in You — because You love me and died for me. Some of those dreams present alluring situations and ‘feel good’ plans, but I’m with Moses on this one . . .

“By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.” (Hebrews 11:24–25)

Thank You for granting the gumption to say NO to sin and the grace to say YES to You — even if it means living a strange life!