God Can Use Your Life in Ways You Can't Imagine
Have you ever stood at the edge of something so big, so overwhelming, that your first instinct was to turn around and walk away? Maybe it was a career opportunity, a relationship decision, or a calling you felt God placing on your heart. What if the very thing that seems too big for you is exactly where God wants to stretch your imagination?
We often use the word "imagination" to talk about making things up or disconnecting our thoughts from reality. But a God-inspired imagination allows us to see our lives from God's perspective. Through our imagination, God can give us a vision of the life God wants us to live and the incredible things God is calling us to do.
When Dreams Seem Impossible
The truth is simple but profound: God can use your life in ways you can't imagine! In fact, 1 Corinthians 2:9 says, "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him."
Joshua understood this reality. Forty years earlier, God had brought the people of Israel out of slavery in Egypt, through the desert wilderness, to the cusp of the Promised Land. But the consensus of that generation was that God's dream was too big, the people living in the land were too big, the challenges they would face were too big. So they chose to turn around and wander in the wilderness instead of walking into the dream God had for them.
But Joshua didn't think like everyone else! Joshua and his friend Caleb were the only ones, 40 years before, who said "These people are big, but our God is bigger! Their cities are big, but our God is bigger! The challenges are big, but God's dream is bigger, and we can trust God to do what God has promised to do!"
Four Steps to God-Sized Dreams
Now, standing again on the cusp of the Promised Land after Moses' death, Joshua receives a powerful commission from God in Joshua 1:1-11. God's words to Joshua teach us four essential things we need to do to gain a God-sized imagination and step into God's dream at the right time.
Let Go of Doubt
Doubt is the first obstacle we have to face before we can step into God's dream for our lives. Joshua had many reasons to doubt. The biggest reason is right there in Joshua 1:1: "My servant Moses is dead." Joshua had some pretty big shoes to fill!
As James 1:6-7 reminds us, "When you ask him (for wisdom), be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord."
Doubt is not a stable place for us to stand. Doubt makes us wobble and waver. Until we let go of doubt, we won't have the confidence to step into the rest of the dream God has for us.
Look to God's Promises
God directly addressed Joshua's biggest doubt by saying in Joshua 1:3-4, "I promise you what I promised Moses: 'Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you.'" God makes three specific promises to those who live for Him:
Strength: "No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses" (Joshua 1:5)
Success: Defined by God's standards, not our own, as we obey His instructions
Support: "The Lord your God is with you wherever you go" (Joshua 1:9)
Lean on the Lord's Strength and Wisdom
God told Joshua in Joshua 1:8, "Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do."
If we only try to obey God's Word by our own effort, by just trying harder, we're doomed to fail. But if we trust that God's Word is enough to build our entire lives on, God will ingrain it so deeply in our lives that obedience will come naturally to us.
Launch Out in Faith
After God commissioned him, Joshua took immediate action. In Joshua 1:10-11, "Joshua then commanded the officers of Israel, 'Go through the camp and tell the people to get their provisions ready. In three days you will cross the Jordan River and take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you.'"
"Launching out in faith" doesn't mean going rogue and charging ahead alone. Even when we're ready to step into God's dream, we need godly companions for the journey ahead.
Putting It Into Practice
At the end of Joshua's life, he could say with confidence in Joshua 23:14, "You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed."
Don't wait any longer to take the next step into God's dream for your life. Today, trust God and launch out in faith, knowing that like Joshua, you can be strong and courageous, because the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.
Remember Paul's words in Ephesians 3:20: "Glory to God, who is able to do far beyond all that we could ask or imagine by his power at work within us." God's dream for your life is bigger than anything you could imagine on your own. The question is: will you let God stretch your imagination?
Reflection
What doubts are currently keeping you from stepping into God's dream for your life? Like the Israelites who saw giants in the land, what "giants" are you allowing to overshadow God's promises?
Doubt is not a stable place for us to stand. Doubt makes us wobble and waver. How has doubt been tossing you "this way and that" instead of allowing you to receive God's wisdom and direction?
What promises from God do you need to hold onto as you face the challenges ahead? How can you lean on God's strength and wisdom rather than trying to figure everything out on your own?
Who in your life needs to hear about the dream God has placed in your heart? How might making your dream public help you take the next step of faith?
Application
Today, choose one specific action to stretch your God-inspired imagination:
Let go of doubt: Write down one major doubt that's been holding you back from God's dream for your life. Pray over it and symbolically throw it away, choosing to trust God's promises instead.
Look to God's promises: Find three specific promises from Scripture that relate to your situation. Write them down and commit to meditating on them "day and night" this week.
Launch out in faith: Take one concrete step toward God's dream for your life today. It doesn't have to be huge - Joshua started by simply telling his officers to prepare provisions. What's your "prepare provisions" step?
Make it public: Share your dream with one trusted person today, or if you're ready, write it down somewhere others can see it and pray for you.
Prayer
Gracious God, thank you that you have dreams for my life that are far beyond what I could ask or imagine. Help me to let go of the doubts that make me wobble and waver like waves tossed by the wind. Give me faith to trust in your promises of strength, success, and support as you define them, not as I define them. Help me to study your Word continually and meditate on it day and night so that your wisdom becomes ingrained in my heart and mind. Lord, I want to be strong and courageous as I step into the dream you have for me. Remind me that I don't have to do this alone, that you are with me wherever I go. Give me the faith to launch out and take the next step, trusting that you are able to do far beyond all that I could ask or imagine by your power at work within me. In Jesus' name, Amen
