Dare to DreamSample

Dream or reality?

“When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy.” (Psalm 126:1-2 ESV)

When you experience something wonderful or your life unexpectedly takes a good turn, you sometimes wonder: is this real or am I dreaming? Is this too good to be true? This also happened to a group of Israelites. Their situation was difficult: they were taken captive, probably deported to another country. But God intervened in a miraculous way. The turnaround in their situation was so great that they could hardly believe it. It seemed like a dream from which they could wake up at any moment. But this was no dream, this was real! That realization filled them with joy and they cried out: “The LORD has done great things for us; we are glad.” (Psalm 126:3 ESV) You may think to yourself: my experience is different. My life doesn’t always run smoothly… Then continue to read this Psalm. Once again, the Israelites found themselves in a difficult situation . But that is precisely why they kept singing this song: it gave them confidence that God could intervene once more. They could continue to dream, even when surrounded by darkness, because they had experienced God's saving power.

Do you also have experiences with God that bring a smile to your face? What effect does the recollection of them have on you?