August 19, 2025

SEEK AND PURSUE GOD’S DREAM

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“But the other woman, Sarah, represents the heavenly Jerusalem. She is the free woman, and she is our mother. As Isaiah said, ‘Rejoice, O childless woman, you who have never given birth! Break into a joyful shout, you who have never been in labor! For the desolate woman now has more children than the woman who lives with her husband!’”

Galatians 4:26–27 NLT

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TODAY’S THOUGHT

This is one of those passages that takes some wrestling to understand. Paul is using an allegory to contrast two ways of living: one by human effort, the other by God’s promise.

Sarah, the mother of Isaac, represents freedom—receiving her son not through human manipulation but by God’s miraculous power. Hagar, on the other hand, represents human attempts to fulfill God’s promise in our own strength.

Paul then quotes Isaiah 54:1, a prophecy about Israel’s future. Before the Babylonian exile, Israel was like a woman with a husband—fruitful and established. In exile, she became like a barren woman—desolate and without hope. But God promised restoration, saying the barren woman would one day have more children than the married woman.

Paul applies this to Sarah: though barren for decades, she received a son through God’s promise, and through that son came a great nation.

The principle of this prophecy still speaks to us today. Barrenness isn’t always about children—it can be the loss of a dream, the death of a desire, or the emptiness of an unfulfilled calling. I’ve walked with couples through the deep pain of infertility and loss. It’s a grief that can shatter hearts, strain marriages, and isolate souls.

And yet, if we believe that God is sovereign and works all things for our good (Romans 8:28), then even seasons of barrenness can be part of His good plan.

So, what do we do when our dreams don’t come true?

1. Seek God’s Dream

The One who created us has a plan for us—and His plan is always better than ours. Often our frustration comes when we pursue our dream, fail, and then blame God. But if it wasn’t His plan to begin with, why hold Him responsible? Instead, seek Him until His dream becomes clear.

2. Pursue God’s Dream

Once the Holy Spirit gives you even a glimpse of His plan, pursue it with all your heart. Often, He shows us only the first step at first, and greater clarity comes as we walk forward in faith. Along the way, you’ll discover that His dream bears more fruit than you could ever produce on your own.

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TODAY’S PRAYER

Holy Spirit, reveal Your dream for my life. Give me eyes to see what You have for today, and courage to take bold, faith-filled steps toward it. May Your dream bear fruit in my life far beyond anything I could imagine.

“Scroll down to share what you feel God is saying based on today’s reading.”