"
Shattered Dreams
By Sharon Jaynes
Key Verse: "And we
know that in all things God works for
the good of those who love him who
have been called according to his
purpose" (Romans 8:28 NIV).
Devotion:
Have you ever had a shattered
dream? If so, you're not alone.
If ever there was a group of people
who lost their dream, it was Jesus'
disciples and the women who ministered
to and with them. They had such high
expectations that Jesus would be the
next political leader to Israel (Luke
24:20). They had witnessed his power
in feeding 5,000 men plus women and
children with two loaves and five
fishes, they felt the waves beneath
their tiny boat subside at his
command, they had watched him breath
life into a lifeless child, open the
eyes of a man blind from birth, create
new skin from rotting flesh on the
limbs of lepers, and command a lame
man to take up his pallet and walk.
They had seen him walk on water,
outwit the Pharisees, and win the
lost.
In their narrow scope of hopes for
a political leader, they missed the
bigger picture of God's plan for a
Savior to free mankind from the
bondage of sin. While Peter realized
Jesus' identity ("You are the
Christ."), he did not understand His
destiny. Peter was shocked when Jesus
explained that He had to go to
Jerusalem, suffer, be killed and on
the third day rise from the dead. He
even took Jesus aside and said,
"Never, Lord. This shall never happen
to you!" (Mark 8:33). This was not
part of Peter's dream. Suffering did
not fit into his plan.
"Jesus turned and said to Peter,
"Get behind me Satan! You are a
stumbling block to me; you do not have
in mind the things of God, but the
things of men."
Call me stupid, but don't call me
Satan. Yet, that is how Jesus sees it
when we try to block God's plans. He
sees us as an instrument of darkness,
an offense, a hindrance and a snare.
It is amazing that one minute Peter
could be a building block and the next
a stumbling block. But that's the trap
we all fall into when we have our
minds set on the world instead of on
the things of God.
Jesus told His disciples, "If
anyone would come after me, he must
deny himself, take up his cross and
follow me. For whoever wants to save
his life, will lose it, but whoever
lose his life for me will find it"
(Matthew 16:24).
Even though Jesus forewarned the
disciples of his death and
resurrection, they fled when the
soldiers came to arrest him, and hid
when they hung him on a cross to die.
When Jesus was sealed in the tomb,
their hopes and dreams were sealed in
the darkness with him.
Every day, I receive emails from
women who have had their dreams
shattered. A husband has an affair,
becomes addicted to pornography,
abuses the children, or deserts the
family. A child gets caught with
drugs, becomes pregnant, or dies in a
car accident. Parents divorce, friends
betray, careers come to an abrupt
halt. The list is endless. So what do
we do when our dreams are seemingly
destroyed? The answer to that will
shape the rest of our lives.
Does that mean we give up our
dreams? I can promise you this, what
ever dreams you have for your life,
God's dreams are greater. The power of
the Holy Spirit the disciples received
after Jesus' resurrection and the
impact they made on the world
thereafter, was beyond their wildest
dreams. That's what God does with a
heart that is wholly yielded to Him.
That's what He does when we give our
shattered dreams to Him. I have
learned to stop saying, "Why me?" but
instead start saying "What now?"
If you have experienced a shattered
dream, pray that God's resurrecting
power will reveal His greater plan for
your life. He loves to roll away the
stones and call forth life from the
dark places.
Prayer:
Dear Lord, there are things about
my life that I don't understand, but I
do know this. You are good and You are
kind. I thank you that nothing happens
in my life that is a surprise to You.
You have a greater plan than my small
vision can imagine. I pray that You
will reveal that larger plan for my
life to me. Help me to pay attention
to Your promptings and obey Your
bidding.
In Jesus' name, Amen.
