“He is risen! He is risen indeed!” I’ve heard that familiar phrase year after year every Easter Sunday. However, I was a Christian for many years before I even began to understand the power of Jesus’ resurrection and its implications for my life today.
For the longest time, I associated the word “resurrection” with Jesus being raised from the dead, with His second coming (when all the dead in Christ will rise again), and with the people that Jesus or the Apostles raised from the dead. That was it. I had no other context for that word.
I still remember the moment I realized the power of Jesus’ resurrection as it applies to me today. It was a mind-blowing and transforming moment in my faith journey that quietly took place in the passenger seat of my minivan somewhere between New Mexico and Texas.
I was reading the book Chase the Lion by Mark Batterson. In it he writes:
“After our first attempt at church planting failed, I thought the dream of planting a church was deep-sixed. I’ve since discovered that God-ordained dreams often go through a death and resurrection. Only when the dream is dead and buried can it be resurrected for God’s glory. Dreams aren’t just born; they are sometimes born again.”
God can resurrect dead dreams. Just having that little bit of insight flooded my mind with the fact that He is indeed in the resurrection business! He is able to resurrect anything that appears to be dead in your life. Especially the thing that at some point made your heart beat a little faster. The one that kept you up at night, filled with excitement. The one you hoped to see come to fruition one day.
Ephesians 3:20-21 says:
“Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen”
He is able, no doubt. If He does not resurrect a dream or desire, then it wasn’t meant to be, and we have to trust that He has something better in store. However, I no longer default to burying the longings of my heart – regardless of how obviously dead they might look – without bringing them to the Father to be resurrected first. No matter how big or small, no matter how ridiculously absurd my request is based on the evidence surrounding me, I lay the dry bones at the feet of the One who once told the prophet Ezekiel:
“This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: ‘I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”
Ezekiel 37:5-6
What needs resurrection in your life today?
It can be anything! Here are just a few of the things that come to mind, but this is by no means an exhaustive list: your faith, your hope, your strength, your joy, your peace, your confidence, your reputation, your dignity, your ministry, your career, your business, your ability to create, your imagination, your desire for a healthy romantic relationship, a relationship with a friend or family member, a health diagnosis, your courage, your optimism, your trust in God.
Whatever it is, I encourage you to bring it to the Lord today. Commemorate Resurrection Sunday with a request to the Father to partake in the power of Jesus’ resurrection in your life. May you be able to proclaim with joyful excitement: “My (fill in the blank) is risen!! It is risen indeed!” To God be the glory!
FLAG THIS!
- Before embracing a belief that God will resurrect a dream or desire, it’s important to ask: Is this aligned with God’s will?
- While God is able to bring life to what seems dead, He also closes doors for our good.
- Surrendering our dreams to Him requires faith in both His power to resurrect and His wisdom to redirect.
HEART CHECK: Reflect and Grow
- Have you invited God to reveal whether this dream or desire is from Him?
- Are you trusting God’s plan, even if the answer is “no” or “not yet”?
- How can you seek His will more intentionally in this area of your life?
- What steps of faith can you take while waiting on God’s direction?
Photo by Susanne Jutzeler, suju-foto – Pexels
