I have heard You calling in the night

Let’s turn to:

Genesis 37:1–11 ESV

1 Jacob lived in the land of his father’s sojournings, in the land of Canaan. 2 These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was pasturing the flock with his brothers. He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives. And Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father. 3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of his old age. And he made him a robe of many colors. 4 But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him. 5 Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more. 6 He said to them, “Hear this dream that I have dreamed: 7 Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright. And behold, your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf.” 8 His brothers said to him, “Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words. 9 Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers and said, “Behold, I have dreamed another dream. Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” 10 But when he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves to the ground before you?” 11 And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind.

How about this? A man with a dream! Actually, a man with two dreams which are basically the same. It is good to have dreams! Well, it does depend what the dream is. But it does not depend on what you think it depends.

If your dream is to take over the world, then perhaps, this is not a good dream. When you are young you are always being asked: What do you want to do when you grow up?

What do you want to be? (Ask the children

Nothing happens unless first a dream.

Carl Sandburg

Now, there is this saying, that “you can be whatever you want to be”. Of course, that is a nonsense, though today, people believe whatever they want.

You cannot be a singer if you cannot sing relatively in tune. But, you could if you can sing, and that you practice. You can’t be a footballer if you have two left feet and do not have some sort of speed in your legs. You can be a footballer if you find the right coach and practice, and show the skills when you need to. For everyone else you can be a referee, otherwise known as a football fan. And what is the point of dreaming to be a basketball player if you can’t get the ball in the hoop!

With that said, now, within reason you can be whatever you want to be. For some of you these are important moments in making decisions about the future.

Dream the impossible dream. Dreaming it may make it possible. It often has.

Unknown

Then dreams need plans to make it happen. And often it starts with education and life-long learning.

It may be that you can be the best piano player in the world as long as you have natural talent with a great deal of daily practice. Everything takes effort. You can be a Tiktok influencer if you learn how to make videos and know the key words that will target your audience and with a lot of so-called luck.

But we seem to be leaving something or rather Someone out of the equation. Dreams are all well and good but it seems that being a dreamer is not always a good thing. We are not to be living in lala land. Our dreams do not lead anywhere, on the whole they are fantasies.

But another type of dream does: the ones that come from God, not unlike Martin Luther King’s dream:

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Dreams from God can become reality. Joseph had a dream that came from God. Now is the time to ask God to give you a dream. A dream that truly comes from Him will glorify God and benefit others. I’m going to let you in on what the bible says:

Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

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

Prosper in the plan and will of God.

Do you WANT to know God’s will for you? Do you know we are told in the bible how to know it?

Well, here it is:

Romans 12:1–2 NCV

1 So brothers and sisters, since God has shown us great mercy, I beg you to offer your lives as a living sacrifice to him. Your offering must be only for God and pleasing to him, which is the spiritual way for you to worship. 2 Do not be shaped by this world; instead be changed within by a new way of thinking. Then you will be able to decide what God wants for you; you will know what is good and pleasing to him and what is perfect.

Then you will be able to decide what God wants for you. Once you know, you can put the plan into action. If the dream is from God then circumstances may overtake you but let’s not look at the circumstances concerned:

Proverbs 3:5–6 ESV

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Joseph’s life is later turned upside down because his brothers hated him and he was sold as a slave, put in jail for a crime he did not commit but eventually became Prime Minister of Egypt saving his own brothers, who hated him, from starvation. God’s plan did not go how he thought it would. That’s why we have to continue to trust God throughout our lives. Joseph was a man of integrity who wanted to do God’s will. And it brought him a lot of trouble before it turned out right.

There was this song I’ve told you about before that when I was young I used to sing, I’m sure you know it but these are the words:

I want to serve the purpose of God In my generation I want to serve the purpose of God While I am alive I want to give my life For something that will last forever Oh, l delight, I delight to do Your will

The song has this chorus which was my heartfelt prayer, and it should be ours too:

What is on Your heart? Tell me what to do Let me know Your will And I will follow You

Do we say to God; I will follow you. Then, if we will, say:

Yes, Lord, whatever you tell me to do I will do no matter where it will lead me.

Are you ready to say that to God, to Jesus?

When Samuel heard his name called out by God said:

Speak Lord, your servant is listening.

And Samuel heard God all his life, but it started when he was a young boy. Jeremiah was called by God at 6 to be a prophet. Moses was 80 when he was called. So, no excuse about our age, right? Whether we are young or old.

Don’t we all sing that other song?

“I, the Lord of sea and sky” where in the chorus it says:

Whom shall I send? Here I am Lord. Is it I Lord? I have heard you calling in the night. I will go Lord, if you lead me.

For me this has special resonance for it was the middle of the night God called me to Macedonia through Acts 16:9-10

Acts 16:9–10 ESV

9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

This was after a conversation just five hours before with my friend Peter and his parting words to me were: When people call for help we should help!

God can call us to particular work in different ways. I was in a bath when God called me to go to a church in Cardiff. But sometimes it comes through the advice of others, like when we moved to Swansea. Then coming here to London it was a number of factors that made staying in Swansea untenable. And along with Irena’s dream of living in London and seeing the profile for this church - now you’ve got me!

All this comes from another dream that I am to preach the word.

God’s call comes in different ways but if we are willing to go and do what He says then He will lead you.

Abraham went out not even knowing where he was going. Moses did not want to go to Pharaoh, Jeremiah said I’m too young! God may call you as a missionary! God may call you to work for the people of God right here. God may call you to serve in another way through the work you do.

I’ve had many jobs. Van driver. Night shift worker. Accountant. And so on. Each had a purpose. Maybe you desire to be a pizza delivery driver. Why not? Maybe you desire to be a footballer. Why not? Maybe you want to be an electrician. Why not? In each of these God can use you if you make yourself available to Him.

It maybe that you have no idea what you want to do. Well, where you are God can use you. At school. At college. At home. At church. Sometimes the ways of God seem dark. And God has many ways to lead us.

Joseph saved his family and they stayed in Egypt for over 400 years Those same people Moses was called to lead back out of Egypt, those same people through whom Jesus Himself was born some 1400 years later.

We cannot always see God’s plan. It may extend beyond our own lifetimes. It may lead to the birth of someone who will be great in the service of God.

We don’t know how many days God has given to us, God has ordained how many already. But, you know,

it is not how long you live that matters but the depth of life you live each day with God.

Some people can do so much for God and die at the age of 29 like Robert M’Cheyne did. Many of the famous Christians we have heard of didn’t live past their 50s yet affected all of Christendom. Jesus’ own life was cut off in His thirties.

What is worse is for any of to live a mediocre, boring life for Jesus, who gave His life for us.

Are we like many who have said: I have decided to follow Jesus?

What happened when someone said to Him ‘I will follow you’? Well, let’s read that shall we?

Luke 9:57–62 ESV

57 As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” 59 To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 60 And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” 61 Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” 62 Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Dreams need to be founded in the plans of God. We need to dream bigger dreams and we need to pray bigger prayers. All of this will come at a cost. There is no looking back. We have the cross before us.

Following him will cost everything and give everything.

N. T. Wright

Let me tell you about another dream. It started in the heart of God. A dream to bring people back to Him. And so formed a plan. This came at an enormous cost. It meant suffering when He had no ever suffered pain, it meant dying when He had not experienced death. The blood that dripped from Jesus that day was because of a dream that we could know God as our Father.

What is your dream? Not yet got one? Well, ask God, first seeking God for Him, but ask…But beware…are you ready for the cost whatever it is? Beware, for dreams may lead to our demise…BUT... but there is a resurrection!

Benediction

Ephesians 3:20–21 ESV

20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Bibliography

Rogers, A. (2017) “How to Make Your Dreams Come True,” in Adrian Rogers Sermon Archive. Signal Hill, CA: Rogers Family Trust.

Water, M. (2000) The new encyclopedia of Christian quotations. Alresford, Hampshire: John Hunt Publishers Ltd.

Wright, T. (2004) Matthew for Everyone, Part 2: Chapters 16-28. London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge.