Throw your dreams on the pyre.
Genesis 22:2-12
There is a cliché that if you love something, you should let it go. If it comes back to you, it was meant for you to have. One night as I was mediating, I was thinking of a dream that I'd had for some time. This dream had consumed me to a point of obsession (idolatry). I was being held captive to it, which flies in the face of God (Exodus 20:3).
My mind then went to Abraham and God’s promise to him that he would have descendants as numerous as the stars (Genesis 15:5.) As this was God’s sovereign promise, Abraham held on to it as his dream. So we all were puzzled when later in Genesis (22:2), God told Abraham to essentially throw his dream (Isaac) upon the altar for a sacrifice. Surprisingly, the Bible doesn’t list any hesitation on Abraham’s part. Instead, the Word showed his extreme obedience and his faith because as he prepared to leave, he told the men who went with them, “Abide ye here with the donkey; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you” (verse 5). Abraham believed that God would protect His promise.
God gives us dreams. He is the author of provision and everything good. He gives us creative forces to birth ideas that make our lives and others’ lives better. He fulfills His will through us and what we do. So while it is not sinful to have dreams, when we are not willing to deny those dreams or give them up for Him, that is a problem. And that’s what came to me as I was mediating. I needed to be willing to sacrifice that dream, be willing for it not to exist, and instead seek to be obedient to God and remain open to what He wanted. As Abraham prepared to slay Isaac, God saw obedience in Abraham in his willingness to give his dream (Isaac) back to Him. And then God sent the ram in the bush because He saw that Abraham wasn’t captive to Isaac and realized that Isaac belonged to God first.
When I was growing up, I recall my mother and grandmother often saying that “obedience is better than sacrifice.” As I got older, I realized they were quoting 1 Samuel 15:22-23. Sacrificing means that something has to die, to be given up, to be relinquished for the sake of something else. Before He sent His Son, God required sacrifices to cover sin. But sacrifices aren’t always necessary! Obedience first is the better response so that a sacrifice doesn’t have to happen. When we become captive to our dreams, they become counterproductive to what God wants. Commit to throwing them on the pyre and to instead be obedient to what He wants.
Prayer for Release: God, You are the Author and Finisher of everything good. Thank you for the dreams you’ve placed in my heart, but I do not want to be captive to them. By the power of Your Holy Spirit, help me to keep my dreams in perspective so that they do not get in the way of my obedience to You.