What To Do When No One Believes In Your Dreams

 I Kings 18:43-45 - He said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” So he went up and looked and said, “There is nothing.” And he said, “Go back” seven times.  It came about at the seventh time, that he said, “Behold, a cloud as small as a man’s hand is coming up from the sea.” And he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot and go down, so that the heavy shower does not stop you.’”  In a little while the sky grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy shower.  

• People Can't See God Calling You

When you have a dream you have to tell others about it. When you believe God is calling you in a certain direction you likewise tell others about it.

Having people not believe in your dreams or God's calling of you is a commonplace experience. In our text above Elijah had a vision or a dream where the Word of the Lord came to him.

In this vision God had told him that it was going to rain (vs.1). Now no one else knew it was going to rain. Everyone had been programmed to believe it wasn't going to rain because it hadn't rained in over three years.

• Elijah Could Hear And See A Storm Coming

While Elijah was on Mt. Carmel he knows a storm is coming but only he is able to see and hear it. He says to his servant (vs.43) “go…look towards the sea.” The servant does as Elijah said, but when he returns he informs him he saw nothing.

They go through this ritual six times and each time his answer is the same, “There is nothing.” Imagine going through this same routine six times and coming back with the same answer, “There is nothing.”

• Elijah’s Servant Was Not Able To See What Elijah Saw

God said in (vs.1) that He was sending rain and Elijah believed him and he could see the rain coming. He didn’t see it physically but he saw it spiritually.

How many of us have seen something that no one else was able to see? We believed in it but no one else did.

• People Couldn't See My Calling

I heard a preacher once say in his message that "God didn't need anymore doctors or lawyers." What God needed was "More Preachers!"

I thought to myself that was a true statement. I began to inform God in my prayers that I was willing to say what Isaiah said, "Here am I. Send me."

God began to open up doors for me that others couldn't see being opened. People started questioning my intentions and I realized it was better to keep this to myself.

They didn't have faith in me or my calling.

• The Coach's Vision

Quite a few of my Pump Up readers are college coaches. They, many times, can see their athletes as champions, but the problem is their athletes can’t always see it.

What are you to do when you can see what no one else can see?

I believe you keep on displaying your faith in what you believe. You don't quit believing what you know to be true.

At least that is what Elijah did and on the seventh time his servant came back with a different answer. A don’t get your hopes up to high answer. He says, “Behold, a cloud as small as a man’s hand…”

The servant doesn’t have much faith in this little cloud. In fact, he says it is a “small” cloud. It is only the size of a man’s hand.

Now if you think about that for a moment, physically speaking, a cloud the size of a man's hand isn’t going to do much.

That is what makes this story all the more fascinating.

• God Uses Small Things

God uses this small cloud to rain down heavy showers (vs. 45) on the land.

You might have a vision, a dream, or a calling and you have shared it with your family or friends and they all think you are “crazy” or worse yet they even call you a “dreamer”.

All I can say is keep believing or having faith in your dreams. Elijah did and in the end he was right and they were wrong.

You may be the small cloud that God wants to do great things with today.

Will you let Him use you?

Think On This: 

Small minds are the first to criticize large ideas.
 
Stay Pumped,

Gary A. Serago

Minister of God's Word