Title Tell a Dream/Genesis 37:1-11
Contents "Blessing Picks" Series II: Talking Dreams/Genesis 37:1-11
1. The God Who Gives Dreams
The God we serve and worship is a dreamer. Seeing that the earth was chaotic and empty and darkness was over the deep, God dreamed of creating a world full of life and full of the order of life. God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit must have made the plan more concrete by sharing the dream of creating a wonderful world full of life.
In the Lord's Prayer that Jesus taught his disciples, it says, "Thy kingdom come, and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." This prayer is a prayer for God's dream for this world. Seeing this world dominated by hate, hatred and injustice, God dreamed of a world full of His love and righteousness. The will of God the Father for the world became the will of the Son Jesus Christ and also the will of God the Holy Spirit. And for the fulfillment of God's dream of the reign of God in this world, Jesus told us to pray.
God gives us dreams so that God's dreams can come true on earth. God gives us dreams so that God's love, righteousness, truth, and beauty may come to our lives in full. God gave a dream to Joseph and a dream to David. He gave dreams to Peter and the apostle Paul, and he also gave dreams to many people of faith. God still gives dreams to each and every one of us.
2. Joseph tells the story of a God-given dream
God gave Joseph a dream. Joseph had a dream that God had given him and told his father Jacob and his brothers. However, he was only hated by his brothers more (verses 5, 8). The brothers didn't like Joseph, who didn't work as hard as they did, but spent time with his father wearing colored clothes and being foolish. In such a situation, the brothers bowed down to Joseph and told him about the dream that they were serving him, so he was hated even more by his brothers.
We too can be hated by those around us when we talk about the dream God has given us. A few people are challenged when they hear the dreamer's story and become dreamers like him. However, most people without dreams hate, dislike, and feel burdened by dreamers. When Joseph's brothers heard Joseph's dream, they were terrified of themselves, and they hated hearing Joseph's dream and hated it. Also, when Joseph's father heard the dream he had, he was shocked (verse 10). Those who do not dream hear the story of a dream God has given them, and they say that such a thing will not happen, and it is absurd. However, God works through people of dreams. That was God's work of creation, and it was God's work of salvation. Also, it was the history of the church through the people of God, the history of missions, and the history of the kingdom of God.
3. What it means to tell a God-given dream
Talking about the dream God has given has the following meanings. First, uploading our dreams in prayer is talking about the dreams God has given us. Second, we tell ourselves the dreams God has given us. Third, we need to tell the people around us about the dreams God has given us. Fourth, we live a life where we invest ourselves in the dream God has given us. When Joseph was brought to Egypt as a slave, he must have told God about his dreams in prayer and countless dreams to himself. And he shared his dream with others and lived a life of giving himself completely for that dream. In the end, the dream he spoke of became a welcome water and received the tremendous blessing that God had prepared for him. Like Joseph, let's bring up the spring of blessing that God has prepared for us by feeding water by talking about the dream God has given us.
Questions and Sharing
◎ God gives us dreams. Let's talk to each other like Joseph about the dream God has given each of us.
◎ When we talk about our dreams and pray, our dreams become clearer and clearer. Let's pray together for the dreams that each of us and our families have.
◎ People of faith have dreams and passion that God has given them. Let's live the life God has given us to the fullest with dreams and passion.