By Dr. Gilbert W. Stafford
Scripture: Deuteronomy 34;1-6; 1 Chronicles 22:7-11TRYING TO CONVERT THE MOUNTAIN WOMAN
Someone sent me a copy of the following story told by Jack Holland, a Baptist pastor. It is a rather comical tale about a preacher who wanted to evangelize a mountain woman. However, at every point his attempt at evangelizing her eluded him because she didn’t understand his religious language.
He knocked on the door. When she came out, he asked, “Are you a Christian?” “No,” she replied, “I’m a Republican.” The preacher responded, “Sister, I’m afraid you’re in the dark.” Her reply: “Yes, I guess I am. I’m going to get my husband John to cut another window when he gets home.” The preacher asked, “Does John fear the Lord?” to which she replied, “I guess he does, he took his gun with him.” The preacher tried to clarify, “I mean does he have salvation?” Thinking that salvation was a disease, she replied, “Yes, I think he has it in one of his hips.”
“Sister,” the preacher continued, “don’t you want to go to Heaven?” “I don’t know,” she said, “John and I have been thinking about selling out and going to Texas.”
Trying again, he said, “Sister, I’m working for the Lord, hunting the lost sheep,” to which she replied, “I saw some and told John they were lost.”
The story ends the way it began, with the preacher having nothing more than his elusive dream of evangelizing the woman. He never reached his goal.
Life is like that sometimes, isn’t it? Those things which we want most are so elusive. We think that they are within our grasp and yet they slip through our fingers time after time after time.
DREAMS THAT ELUDE US
I think of three examples. In the first one, let’s call her Sarah. She is a single parent with one daughter. Sarah has always had a low paying job. Every time she just about has her head above water, something else goes wrong with the house or the car. She struggled through a graduate degree thinking that one of the side benefits would be more adequate income, but that has not been the case. Her dream for financial security continues to elude her at every turn.
Let’s call the people in the second example Bill and Betty. They have invested heavily in the Christian upbringing of their children, and in an excellent higher education. Now in their retirement years, their children continue bringing pain and disappointment to them, spiritually, morally, and vocationally. Their dream of an extended Christian family eludes them year after year, decade after decade.
In the third example, let’s call him Sam. For fifty years he lived with the dream of doing a particular kind of work. By every move he made was inadequate. Some say he tried too hard. Now in retirement he struggles day in and day out with the pain of an elusive dream.
Is there any help for dealing with our elusive dreams? Yes, from the Christian perspective, there is. It can be summed up in three words: Bigger, Better, and Blessed.
BIGGER
First, Bigger. The context in which God works is so much bigger than our limited view of things. In the Old Testament we read about Moses who for forty years had been trying to get into the promised land on the other side of the Jordan River, but the time was never right. He dreamed of entering it, but never got there. According to the sad report in Deuteronomy 34:1 he “went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho [over in the promised land], and the LORD showed him the whole land [beyond the river].”[i]
Verses 5-6: “Then Moses, the servant of the LORD, died there in the land of Moab, at the LORD’s command. 6>He was buried in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor, but no one knows his burial place to this day."
While Moses was permitted to look over into the promised land, he himself never got there. The dream of some forty years eluded him.
It was Joshua, not Moses, who was to lead the people across the river and help them to take possession of the land. God’s plans were bigger than Moses’ elusive dream.
The same is true of King David who though he had dreamed of building a temple in Jerusalem, was never able to do it. In 1 Chronicles 22:7-11, David near the end of his life says to his son Solomon, “My son, I had planned to build a house to the name of the LORD my God. 8>But the word of the LORD came to me, saying, ‘You have shed much blood and have waged great wars; you shall not build a house to my name, because you have shed so much blood in my sight on the earth. 9>See, a son shall be born to you; he shall be a man of peace. I will give peace and quiet to Israel in his days.” Verse 11: “Now, my son, the LORD be with you, so that you may succeed in building the house of the LORD your God, as he has spoken concerning you.” Here again, God’s agenda was bigger than David’s fondest dreams.
When our dreams slip past us, time after time, we need to remember that God’s agenda is bigger than ours. We live in a big world under the superintendency of a big God who has plans bigger than ours.
BETTER
The second word is Better. To be sure, God’s plans are usually better than ours, but not always. Since sometimes our plans are God’s plans, he has nothing better. For instance, in the example given a few moments ago of the elderly parents who want above all else for their children to follow the Lord, we are sure that such is God’s will, too. There is nothing better than the holy dream of seeing one’s children living for the Lord.
In what sense, then, are we talking about something that is always better? We are talking about the fact that God always has something better for us than for us to be left in the depths of despair when perfectly good dreams continued to elude us. God does not abandon us to despair when things do not turn out the way either he or we want them to turn out. The truth that we celebrate here is that God is able to give us something better than despair. It does not matter how elusive your dreams are – even the good, noble, and God ordained dreams – it is never God’s will for you to get swallowed up in the murky swamps of despair. He has better than that for you. God is the God of hope. He is the God who never gives up.
One of the most famous speeches Winston Churchill ever gave was his shortest. Upon being introduced, he walked to the podium and said, “Never give up. Never, never, absolutely never, absolutely never, never give up.” That’s the way God is. He never gives up. When all seems lost and even the God-ordained dreams continued to be elusive, we can rest assured that God has not given up. This persistent, tenacious, faithful God inspires us never to give up, either. My friend, it is always better not to give up than it is to fall into despair about elusive dreams.
BLESSED
The third word is Blessed. When the realization of out good and noble dreams continue to elude us, it is then that we can discover anew that God’s blessing never depends on the realization of out dreams. The best experience of life is fellowship with the Lord, not the realization of our dreams. Do we know God? Do we take delight in his presence?
It is something like what happens to those who know that they are terminally ill. I was talking with one of my friends who has been battling cancer. He and his wife have sold their house and moved into a much smaller condominium. They have divested themselves of many belongings. When I asked how things were going, he said, “Life has never been sweeter. My wife and I are having the time of our lives. We are enjoying each other more than ever before.”
He keeps hoping that the cancer is gone, but each time he thinks that he is home free, some additional complication rears it ugly head. The dream of a cancer free life continues to elude them. But that elusive dream is the occasion for the exceptional blessing of deeper communion with each other, with friends, and with God. He told me about his prayer life: “Whereas I used to concentrate on asking God for this, that and the other thing, I now just enjoy the pure delight of talking to God. It’s not so much a matter of getting what God can give, but of simply enjoying being in God’s presence. That is the best blessing of all.
CONCLUSION
And so, my friend, when your dreams are elusive, remember that God’s plans are much bigger than your biggest dreams. And, remember that God has something better than despair for you. And, remember that God will bless you with his very self in the midst of any anguish you are going through. That sweet communion is the best of all experiences.
I like what Eugene Peterson says: “The wound is more than a wound – it is access to the outside, to God, to others.”[ii] And I want to add: our elusive dreams are more than elusive dreams; they are access to a reality beyond our dreams, access to God, access to others.
PRAYER
Let us pray:
Gracious Lord, we pray in the words of the song writer who wrote, “When sorrows like sea billows roll – Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul.” Grant us, precious Lord, the strength to keep on keeping on, the wisdom to rest in your providential care, and the courage to live in the security that only you can give. When life’s dreams, even those that are good and noble continue eluding us, enable us to pursue you yourself, for we know that you are the God of the bigger picture. You are the God who offers something better than despair. You are the God in whose presence is blessed joy and peace. In Christ’s name, we pray. Amen.
[i] New Revised Standard Version used here and throughout.
[ii] Eugene H. Peterson, “Teach Us to Care and Not to Care,” The Crisis of Care, ed. Susan S. Phillips and Patricia Benner (Washington: Georgetown University Press), p. 70.
He knocked on the door. When she came out, he asked, “Are you a Christian?” “No,” she replied, “I’m a Republican.” The preacher responded, “Sister, I’m afraid you’re in the dark.” Her reply: “Yes, I guess I am. I’m going to get my husband John to cut another window when he gets home.” The preacher asked, “Does John fear the Lord?” to which she replied, “I guess he does, he took his gun with him.” The preacher tried to clarify, “I mean does he have salvation?” Thinking that salvation was a disease, she replied, “Yes, I think he has it in one of his hips.”
“Sister,” the preacher continued, “don’t you want to go to Heaven?” “I don’t know,” she said, “John and I have been thinking about selling out and going to Texas.”
Trying again, he said, “Sister, I’m working for the Lord, hunting the lost sheep,” to which she replied, “I saw some and told John they were lost.”
The story ends the way it began, with the preacher having nothing more than his elusive dream of evangelizing the woman. He never reached his goal.
Life is like that sometimes, isn’t it? Those things which we want most are so elusive. We think that they are within our grasp and yet they slip through our fingers time after time after time.
DREAMS THAT ELUDE US
I think of three examples. In the first one, let’s call her Sarah. She is a single parent with one daughter. Sarah has always had a low paying job. Every time she just about has her head above water, something else goes wrong with the house or the car. She struggled through a graduate degree thinking that one of the side benefits would be more adequate income, but that has not been the case. Her dream for financial security continues to elude her at every turn.
Let’s call the people in the second example Bill and Betty. They have invested heavily in the Christian upbringing of their children, and in an excellent higher education. Now in their retirement years, their children continue bringing pain and disappointment to them, spiritually, morally, and vocationally. Their dream of an extended Christian family eludes them year after year, decade after decade.
In the third example, let’s call him Sam. For fifty years he lived with the dream of doing a particular kind of work. By every move he made was inadequate. Some say he tried too hard. Now in retirement he struggles day in and day out with the pain of an elusive dream.
Is there any help for dealing with our elusive dreams? Yes, from the Christian perspective, there is. It can be summed up in three words: Bigger, Better, and Blessed.
BIGGER
First, Bigger. The context in which God works is so much bigger than our limited view of things. In the Old Testament we read about Moses who for forty years had been trying to get into the promised land on the other side of the Jordan River, but the time was never right. He dreamed of entering it, but never got there. According to the sad report in Deuteronomy 34:1 he “went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho [over in the promised land], and the LORD showed him the whole land [beyond the river].”[i]
Verses 5-6: “Then Moses, the servant of the LORD, died there in the land of Moab, at the LORD’s command. 6>He was buried in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor, but no one knows his burial place to this day."
While Moses was permitted to look over into the promised land, he himself never got there. The dream of some forty years eluded him.
It was Joshua, not Moses, who was to lead the people across the river and help them to take possession of the land. God’s plans were bigger than Moses’ elusive dream.
The same is true of King David who though he had dreamed of building a temple in Jerusalem, was never able to do it. In 1 Chronicles 22:7-11, David near the end of his life says to his son Solomon, “My son, I had planned to build a house to the name of the LORD my God. 8>But the word of the LORD came to me, saying, ‘You have shed much blood and have waged great wars; you shall not build a house to my name, because you have shed so much blood in my sight on the earth. 9>See, a son shall be born to you; he shall be a man of peace. I will give peace and quiet to Israel in his days.” Verse 11: “Now, my son, the LORD be with you, so that you may succeed in building the house of the LORD your God, as he has spoken concerning you.” Here again, God’s agenda was bigger than David’s fondest dreams.
When our dreams slip past us, time after time, we need to remember that God’s agenda is bigger than ours. We live in a big world under the superintendency of a big God who has plans bigger than ours.
BETTER
The second word is Better. To be sure, God’s plans are usually better than ours, but not always. Since sometimes our plans are God’s plans, he has nothing better. For instance, in the example given a few moments ago of the elderly parents who want above all else for their children to follow the Lord, we are sure that such is God’s will, too. There is nothing better than the holy dream of seeing one’s children living for the Lord.
In what sense, then, are we talking about something that is always better? We are talking about the fact that God always has something better for us than for us to be left in the depths of despair when perfectly good dreams continued to elude us. God does not abandon us to despair when things do not turn out the way either he or we want them to turn out. The truth that we celebrate here is that God is able to give us something better than despair. It does not matter how elusive your dreams are – even the good, noble, and God ordained dreams – it is never God’s will for you to get swallowed up in the murky swamps of despair. He has better than that for you. God is the God of hope. He is the God who never gives up.
One of the most famous speeches Winston Churchill ever gave was his shortest. Upon being introduced, he walked to the podium and said, “Never give up. Never, never, absolutely never, absolutely never, never give up.” That’s the way God is. He never gives up. When all seems lost and even the God-ordained dreams continued to be elusive, we can rest assured that God has not given up. This persistent, tenacious, faithful God inspires us never to give up, either. My friend, it is always better not to give up than it is to fall into despair about elusive dreams.
BLESSED
The third word is Blessed. When the realization of out good and noble dreams continue to elude us, it is then that we can discover anew that God’s blessing never depends on the realization of out dreams. The best experience of life is fellowship with the Lord, not the realization of our dreams. Do we know God? Do we take delight in his presence?
It is something like what happens to those who know that they are terminally ill. I was talking with one of my friends who has been battling cancer. He and his wife have sold their house and moved into a much smaller condominium. They have divested themselves of many belongings. When I asked how things were going, he said, “Life has never been sweeter. My wife and I are having the time of our lives. We are enjoying each other more than ever before.”
He keeps hoping that the cancer is gone, but each time he thinks that he is home free, some additional complication rears it ugly head. The dream of a cancer free life continues to elude them. But that elusive dream is the occasion for the exceptional blessing of deeper communion with each other, with friends, and with God. He told me about his prayer life: “Whereas I used to concentrate on asking God for this, that and the other thing, I now just enjoy the pure delight of talking to God. It’s not so much a matter of getting what God can give, but of simply enjoying being in God’s presence. That is the best blessing of all.
CONCLUSION
And so, my friend, when your dreams are elusive, remember that God’s plans are much bigger than your biggest dreams. And, remember that God has something better than despair for you. And, remember that God will bless you with his very self in the midst of any anguish you are going through. That sweet communion is the best of all experiences.
I like what Eugene Peterson says: “The wound is more than a wound – it is access to the outside, to God, to others.”[ii] And I want to add: our elusive dreams are more than elusive dreams; they are access to a reality beyond our dreams, access to God, access to others.
PRAYER
Let us pray:
Gracious Lord, we pray in the words of the song writer who wrote, “When sorrows like sea billows roll – Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul.” Grant us, precious Lord, the strength to keep on keeping on, the wisdom to rest in your providential care, and the courage to live in the security that only you can give. When life’s dreams, even those that are good and noble continue eluding us, enable us to pursue you yourself, for we know that you are the God of the bigger picture. You are the God who offers something better than despair. You are the God in whose presence is blessed joy and peace. In Christ’s name, we pray. Amen.
[i] New Revised Standard Version used here and throughout.
[ii] Eugene H. Peterson, “Teach Us to Care and Not to Care,” The Crisis of Care, ed. Susan S. Phillips and Patricia Benner (Washington: Georgetown University Press), p. 70.
Script 2593
September 8, 1996
SERIES: LIFE’S DREAMS
2. Elusive Dreams
Scripture: Deuteronomy 34;1-6; 1 Chronicles 22:7-11
September 8, 1996
SERIES: LIFE’S DREAMS
2. Elusive Dreams
Scripture: Deuteronomy 34;1-6; 1 Chronicles 22:7-11
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