God's Dreams or My Own? John Avant

I just returned from the Southern Baptist Convention. 

As usual, the main stories were not about revival. They were not about finishing the Great Commission. 

The main stories were about our arguments. 

Although I was there for every minute of the convention, I never cast a vote. In fact, I never set foot inside the business sessions!

That’s a little strange to me because for years I was right in the middle of all of our arguments.  I served as vice president of one of our agencies and on the committee that actually created that agency as well as a trustee for that same board. 

Being very vulnerable, as a young pastor I wondered if I might be president of all of it one day. Maybe God would use me to lead it all in the right direction. 

Now all these years later, I spent the entire Convention standing at a booth for our ministry, Passion Promise Ministries, simply meeting people and talking to people. 

This was not my dream for ministry at this point in life. 

Do you feel like this sometimes? Do you look at your life and wonder how you got to the place you’re in? Has your life turned out significantly differently than you thought it would? Do you struggle with that?

What if that was actually a wonderful thing?  In fact, what if that was actually the greatest thing that could happen in your life?

Consider Jeremiah, an Old Testament prophet.   God told him in the beginning of his life that he would use him in great ways; ways that would build up and tear down entire empires! But it must not have felt that way to Jeremiah. He watched the downfall of his nation. He was abandoned and thrown into a pit. He ended up exiled in a strange land.

And yet deep in his soul, he heard this word from a God whose dream for him was better than his own:

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭29‬:‭11‬ ‭

Would you be willing to take a giant step or even a leap of faith today to believe that God’s dreams are exactly what you need in your life? And that they are far better than your own dreams?

When I got home from the Southern Baptist Convention, I told my wife that I think these were some of the very best days of my entire ministry.

I didn’t lead anything, preach anywhere, win any debates or influence any votes. 

Did I stand outside of the biggest stories of the Southern Baptist Convention?

I was able to encourage missionaries, counsel hurting pastors, mentor younger pastors, connect leaders with others, hear miracle stories, pray with old friends, make new friends, and watch as leaders became excited about working together to see the Great Commission fulfilled.  

So what were really the biggest stories at the Southern Baptist Convention this year?

Don’t worry today about your dreams that didn’t come true or the parts of your life that are not what you thought they would be.

Instead embrace the mysterious, adventurous King and Friend, who is ready to lead you and walk with you into stories that are far bigger than you and much bigger than any dream you’ve ever had.

I love these beautiful words from author Andrew Peterson:

“Set fire to your expectations, your rights, and even your dreams. When all that is gone, it will be clear that the only thing you ever really had was this wild and Holy Spirit that whirls about inside you urging you to follow where his wind blows.”