As I write, the ticket-buying frenzy for the mega-million lottery—the jackpot currently pegged at $640M—is in full swing. One report informs us: “Between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. [Friday], Mega Millions vendors across the city [New York] sold a massive $1.6 million worth of tickets to people hoping to claim the life-changing jackpot.” With this ongoing frenzy the prize money would surely increase even more. (As you read this, you probably know the result of the lottery already.)
Statisticians point out that the odds of winning the prize are 1 in 176 million. But people are dreaming big. No doubt, many are already fantasizing about what they would do with the “life-changing jackpot.” They have visions of what their life will be like with the significant increase in material resources. They are dreaming of what they will do, what they will acquire … all the benefits they can gather for themselves. Big dreams.
Scripture also speaks of dreams. But the reference to dreams is of a very different kind. Usually it has to do with revelations from God that provide guidance for engaging in some action or for embracing a specific way of living. It could also involve the revelation of God’s judgment—for good or for ill—concerning a particular circumstance or behavior.
Of course, there always is the matter of discerning whether the dream is truly from God or is a false revelation. Scripture teaches that a major indicator whether a dream is from God or not is the nature of one’s lifestyle resulting from the adoption of a particular dream. Jude 8 describes false prophets in this way: “These people—who claim authority from their dreams—live immoral lives, defy authority, and scoff at supernatural beings” (Jude 1.8 NLT). Their behavior and lifestyle discloses a mindset formed by “their dreams.” Their dreams lead them to disregard God, his purposes, and his ways. All that matters is the gratification of their desires.
When God is totally out of the picture, our dreams ultimately will prove hollow. The gratification of our desires often does not last. Somehow there will always be something else that will catch our attention and tug at our hearts to pursue a new desire … an unending cycle. And so we are reminded: “Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore fear God” (Ecclesiastes 5.7 NIV). The truth is, the biggest dreams are those that come from God. And they will last, for they are the ones that have eternal value and promise eternal benefits. They are “life-changing” in an eternal way. The big dreams that we pursue in this world, compared to what God gives, are really not big enough (even a $640M dream). If we are to dream big, dream with God.
–Keith Y. Jainga