Help! This may be one of the first words that comes to mind when you consider pursuing the dream deep in your heart. Help me! I want to do ________, but I don’t know how. I don’t think I can do it. I’ve never done anything like that. I don’t know much about it. I don’t think I’ll be good at ______. I don’t even know how to start…
I am familiar with these thoughts because these are my favorite excuses for failing to write something, for not blogging, for not submitting articles, for not keeping up on my social media, etc., etc.
But, do you hear all of the “I” statements in those thoughts?
What the Lord spoke into my soul many years ago came back to me this morning: “I” will not bring this dream into existence; the Lord is the One who will do it.
Psalm 121 is a check on my self-centered pride:
“I will lift my eyes to the mountains; from where shall my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made Heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord is your keeper; The Lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun will not smite you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul. The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forever.” ~Psalm 121
If God is the One who put this thing in my gut that keeps wriggling around, begging to be explored and exposed, then He will the One who will help me do it. The Lord, not me.
The Lord will be the One who fulfills that secret dream of your heart. The Lord, not you.
Oh, but we must do our part. That dream will not materialize out of thin air (believe me, I’ve tried it for several years now!). We must spend time with the Lord so that overflow, not overwork, can pour His power into our hands. We must pray so that we can tune into the help our Lord is offering. We must take some action and do the work.
There are many things we must do to realize our dreams, but the first and foremost is to realize that the Lord is the One who makes it all possible. If any part of our dream comes true, we can be sure that the Lord helped us and guarded us.
Seventh Assignment: in your journal list all of the things you can think of in the next 5 minutes that you will need help with if you dream is going to come to fruition. Next, pray over each one. Ask the Lord to provide the help you need. Release these worries to Him. Write “the Lord will help me” over or next to your list.
Wow. The Lord will help me. Me? God, Creator and King of the universe, will help me?! This truth still overwhelms me. Anyone else?
After being overwhelmed, thinking about God helping me makes me feel like the Brooklyn Tabernacle choir singing a great song based on Psalm 121. Enjoy it.
Until next time, know that I am praying for you and your dream. I can’t wait to hear how the Lord shows up to help you!