It has been my observation over the years that when dreams are compromised or broken there are two common reactions. The first reaction is to blame God and, in one’s pain, to move away from the One we hold responsible. The second is to recognize our need for God and move closer to Him. For those who move away from God, the result is a lessening of hope, the beginning of bitterness toward God and allowing those broken dreams to diminish their lives. 

For those who choose to press into God in their pain, the result is a deeper understanding of God, a closer relationship with Him, lessons learned in the middle of the pain and, most important of all, a deeper hope and trust than before. In every period of brokenness we face this choice,  and it is a choice. Do we press in or lean out when it comes to Jesus?

Why do some choose one route and others a different route? Why do some come out stronger and others weaker? I believe the answer is found in a simple principle: If we have a history of trusting God and pressing into Him, we will do so when the chips are down and we face bitter disappointment. If, on the other hand, we have been careless in our relationship with God, don’t know Him well or don’t have a history of truly trusting Him, we will likely blame Him in the bad times because we didn’t get to know Him in the good times. Ironically, it is not God who is to blame but ourselves and the choices we make each day to trust Him.

King David’s dreams were shattered when his own son Absolom tried to take over the kingdom and rip it from his hands. As David was fleeing Absolom and his men, this is what he wrote. As you read it, remember that David’s son had committed treason, Absolom had found many men to rise up against his own father and David was running for his life. Against this background, he wrote these words. It is found in Psalm 3. 

“Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! Many are saying of me, ‘God will not deliver him.’ But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high. I call out to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy mountain. I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me. I will not fear though tens of thousands assail me on every side. Arise, Lord! Deliver me, my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked. From the Lord comes deliverance. May your blessing be on your people.”

He starts by acknowledging his situation and his many foes. In fact, many were saying “God will not deliver him.” That was the word on the street. There was plenty of bad news. Not only was David’s kingdom threatened but now he had to deal with his own son being at the heart of the insurrection. There is no good news there.

But David knew who God was and he had cultivated his relationship with God for all of his life. As depressed as he was, he knew that the only thing to do was to lean in on the one who had always sustained him. He knew that, “from the Lord comes deliverance,” and he chose to put his trust in Him.

If your dreams have been shattered, do the only thing that makes any sense and press into Jesus and allow Him to heal you and transform you in the process. If you are in a good place today, do the same because there will come a day when your heart is also shattered. Both are choices each of us makes.

Father, I thank You that You have the ability to sustain us when the chips are down. Thank You that from You deliverance comes. In good days and bad, help me to trust You and press into You so that I never need to wonder if You will be there for me. Amen.