“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but desire fulfilled is a tree of life.” Proverbs 13:12

“Desire realized is sweet to the soul…” Proverbs 13:19


Hopes. Dreams. Desires.

We all have them…. and we want them to come true. And God does too.

God-given dreams and desires are wonderful things. They are God’s gift to you and me. Life would be terribly boring without good, holy, healthy desires and dreams from God. Life pops with positive anticipation, excitement and joy when hope fuels the fires of pursuing God’s best for us.

Our scriptures this week teach us that when desire is fulfilled, life is sweet! A tree of life springs up in our hearts when dreams and desires come to pass. How fun life is when sweet dreams come true. Makes you want to shout and dance. Never feel inhibited when a desire is realized and sweetness fills your soul. Shout if from the rooftop of your heart.

You and I also understand that when hope is hampered and dampened, we become heartsick. I have felt that, and don’t like it very much. I prefer “sweet to the soul” over “the heart sick” any day, don’t you?

A dashed hope doesn’t mean hope is lost. A delayed dream isn’t denial of God’s vision for your life. A desire remaining to be realized doesn’t mean the longing of your heart won’t be fulfilled. God’s dreams for our lives are sweet, especially when accomplished His way and in His time. That’s where you and I struggle sometimes. We want our dreams and desires to come to pass our way and in our time. Be brutally honest….you know I am speaking truth!

So what should we do when we dream dreams that keep our spirit awake and our hearts pounding with godly desire? Glad you asked. David exhorts us to “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4. Pretty straightforward advice. If we want God to give us the desires of our heart, we must first delight ourselves in Him.

Delight means to take pleasure in, to derive happiness from. So, do you and I take pleasure in the One who gives the dreams and places desires in our hearts? Or are we more consumed with the dream than the Dream giver?

I believe that if you and I would daily delight in the Lord and trust our dreams and desires to Him, we would be content, happy and in position to see our desires fulfilled.

I wonder what would happen if we talked more about Jesus and less about our desires? What would life look like if we quit whining about unfulfilled desires and instead, rejoiced in God’s daily blessing in our lives? What if we were happy in Christ whether a desire was fulfilled or not? What if Jesus was more than enough for our hearts? Just asking.

Delight in the Lord….or desire of the heart. What comes first in your life?

So let’s get practical.

• Do you delight in the Lord? I take pleasure in Him _____________________.
• What are you hoping for? I am hoping for ____________________________.
• What are you dreaming about? My dream is __________________________.
• What do you desire? My desire is to ________________________________.

How serious are you about putting the Lord above your desires? How serious are you about pursuing your hopes, dreams and desires God’s way? Are you serious enough to trust His plan and timing? Serious enough to keep believing when believing is difficult? Serious enough to keep forging ahead with faith when the devil tells you your dreams are pipe dreams and will never come to pass? Serious enough to leave the doubters in the dust? Serious enough to plow through disappointment, push through discouragement and advance through adversity? Serious enough to trust God, not your feelings?

If you are not delighting in Him (being happy with who you are in Christ, rejoicing in God’s goodness to you, being content with who you are in Him and what you have right now), but complaining, whining and griping instead and throwing pit-poor-me-parties, then don’t expect your dreams and desires to come to pass..

Hopes, dreams and desires that are fulfilled because we love the Lord and His will causes us to dance in the streets of our spirit. Joy that is almost unspeakable floods and overflows from hearts that know how good it is to see sweet dreams come true!

When Sweet Dreams Come True

• Dance in your heart. Rejoice that God has fulfilled your desire.
• Give thanks to God for making your dream your come true.
• Learn lessons from your dream-fulfilling process.
• Share with others what God has done for you and how He did it.
• Be sensitive and compassionate toward people still hoping for something.
• Encourage someone else to pursue and fulfill their dream.
• Start dreaming your next dream!!!


Dear friend, hold on to your hopes. Hang on to your dreams. Never lose heart. Trust God for your desires to be fulfilled.

The day will come when you will dance because your sweet dreams came true!

“May He grant you your heart’s desire and fulfill all your dreams.” Psalm 20:4

A Word For Your Week: God-given dreams and desires come true for us when we delight in Him and His plans for our life.