Joel 2:28-29
And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions. And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.
I had to laugh at myself this week. My wife sent me to the store to buy spinach. And when I got there I saw spinach. But it wasn’t in the packaging that I was use to. So, I started to walk out until I heard a woman tell her friend to make sure she got the big bag of spinach that was so good. I ran back and discovered that the bag was much bigger than I normally get, and the price was better. There was no logical reason for me to leave the produce on the shelf. Had it not been for the testimony of that woman, I was about to miss a great bargain simply because I refused to adequately negotiate change. I don’t care how cool and hip we think we are, one of the sure telltale signs of aging is the presence of inflexibility to change. And that’s something we’ve got to learn to fight, because our God is a God of supernatural change.
As we look at our scripture for this morning, I have to pause and ask, “Do we really believe and trust God?” Seriously. I know we say we love him, worship him and praise his Holy name. But do we trust him? Especially with our emotions. Do we allow him to set the stage for our lives, or do we reserve that honor for ourselves? Do we truly believe that, not only his plan, but his processes are best for our lives? Yes his processes.
I know these are tough questions because at some point we like to feel we deserve certain things. We get to an age where we believe we know stuff. We’ve been through things. And our perception and sensibilities warrant that we be taken seriously. And yet we read where the Lord is given vision to the young and only dreams to us old folk. Could that be right? Yes it is!!!
The prophetic voice of the prophet Joel was quoted by the Apostle Peter during the celebration of Pentecost at the advent of the corporate down-pouring of the Spirit of God on humanity. This was arguably the greatest corporate event in human history. Never before had the Spirit of God descended upon mankind in this manner. And the results of this infilling changed the world forever. This was “vision” in action. The vision Joel had, not only came to pass, but caused systemic change. And that’s what vision does. That’s what vision is.
I searched the web for the best definitions for spiritual dreams and visions, and the consensus I gathered was that visions are future and dreams are current. Visions bring cultural disruption and systematic change to society, while dreams take advantage of the upheaval of the vision to the glory and honor of our Lord. Both work in harmony and both are needed to execute the purpose of God in their day and time. And today we need both more than ever before.
The world has changed. And I’m not just talking about the virus, social unrest or the economy. There have been massive changes in education, medicine, automation and business. Digital communication has taken over mainstream media. Amazon has taken over the marketplace. The vision of the young has permeated every facet of life...but not so much the church. And that’s what we are here to explore this morning.
The exclusivity that once marked religion has been wiped away by the coming of the Comforter of Christ. The Holy Ghost brought unprecedented parity and freedom to all that would believe. But it accomplished much more than that. It opened up avenues for our daughters and sons to participate in ways they never could before. It empowered them to a degree that had previous been reserved for an elite group of prophets and priests. But now our children have been given space, and grace to prophecy before the Lord. But what about the rest of us? Can’t you recognize elevation when you see it?
You ever wonder why you haven’t lost your mind during this pandemic? Have you considered why there is a calmness in your spirit that you can’t explain? Well let me tell you. It’s the Spirit of God resting on you. It’s the anointing organizing your thoughts and leading your spirit toward the things God established through vision years and years ago. We are now the embodiment of those things spoken by our ancestors eons ago. The saints of old longed to see our day. And now it’s our time to dream.
Dear (older) Saints of God, don’t allow the packaging to cause you to miss your blessing. As we surrender traditional duties and ceremonial obligations to the vision of the young, God is placing in our hands the glorious opportunity to do the one thing we’ve never had time or luxury to do. Dream. The elevation for the child of God is not the obligation to do more, but the release to follow that dream the Lord gave you many moons ago. The dream for souls. The dream for revival. The dream for a release of anointing like never seen before. So the young must seek vision. And the old dreams. And since I’m old you know what I dream. I dream about you.
God Bless.
