Dreams of God, Dreams of Man

Many years ago (and doesn't that sound rich!), YWAM (Youth With a Mission) put out a CD titled, "Dreams of God". It is and was an excellent worship CD and the cover had a picture of a silhouetted man holding the earth in his cradled arms. I've searched the interwebs to no avail for that picture.

However, another picture came to mind regarding the Dreams of God and it is found in Matthew 23:37. To take some liberty, this is a Dream of God. Longing to take his kids and hold them. There are days when I wish my sons were still that age, young enough to come barreling into my lap with a book and say, "Daddy, Read." Good moments, and I think most parents would like to keep their kids that age, or at the very least, have those days visit once a month. I'm mindful those are the times that are precious and, conversely, there have been days where most parents have thought, "Grow Up!" So, yea, it's a beautiful paradox.

Here's an illustration from a story I read regarding what Jesus spoke of in the verse above:

Mother hen seemed to have a terrible time trying to get those fast-moving, hardheaded chicks to obey. She would cluck them to her, settle down on them to keep them warm, and then, one by one, we would see heads start peeping out from all directions. She would settle down again and fluff out some more, and in a moment, heads would all pop out again. Hard as she would try, those chicks were deter mined something was more interesting than staying warm and safe under her wings.

The chicks were only a few days old when the weather forecaster predicted a hard freeze. We threw extra hay in the barn, shut all the windows and doors, and watched as the horses snuggled together in their cozy stalls. The chickens all nested for the evening in their chicken house side. The hen and her brood settled in their soft nest. As we could have predicted, those curious little chicks would not stay under her. She went all through the routine fluff and rearranged several times, but heads continued popping out. We left for the night, wondering if the hen would ever get a wink of sleep because of these 14 rebellious chicks.
When we opened the farm doors the next morning, the mother hen's usual patience gave way to panic. With agitation and frenzy, she cackled incessantly. Strewn around her were eight frozen dead chicks. The other six were huddled together deep under her feathers, never moving.(1) (emphasis mine)

As Jesus mentioned, Jerusalem was not willing to be under anything, let alone the protective place afforded by God. In the case of the story above, six knew their place and eight didn't. I don't think that ratio is indicative of anything with us, but it is interesting how the eight chicks were that close to the protection of the mother and didn't go back.

At some point, they were probably instinctively aware they were in trouble but were at a point too late to make it back. They, no doubt, heard the concerned calls from Mom, but maybe they wanted to get just a bit further before turning back, or maybe they were already on their way back and didn't make it. I can imagine the communication between the Hen and the chicks in those last moments. Can you hear them?

"Yea, Mom, I got it."
"Yea, Dad, Whatever you say."
"Yes, God, but not today."

Guess what? Jerusalem isn't alone. 

There is quote above my wife's office reading "It's never too late to turn the day around". It takes some turning and effort, but it can be done. Likewise, it's never too late to turn your life around.

We all want progress, but if you're on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; in that case, the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive. - C.S. Lewis

So, what? What does this have to do with the Dreams of God?  Well, it's more like the Dreams of Parents and understanding that what we want for our kids isn't going to happen just the way we'd like.

God does have dreams for us. Not literally, because, you know, he doesn't sleep! Psalm 121:4
Yet, he shows his heart for us in this verse and it is somewhat startling, if you've never thought of God in that way. The hen is quite vulnerable. A hen isn't leaving her brood in those moments of protection. That leaves the hen in quite a place if some chicks run off, or if she becomes prey.

God is near to all of us (Acts 17:27) and he's calling out to come under his wings. Not continuously under his wings, because we've got to grow up and all, but when protection is needed, there is a place. But the act of coming under His wings is something we must do.  Watch this video and see what the hen does and what the last chick does:

The chicks have to be present and in the spot, so to speak, and the hen does the rest. You've got to be there. Now, certainly, God can meet us where we are, but God has institutionalized certain protective places such as the family and church (the gathering of believers anyplace). More abstract places such as obedience and submission are places of protection, just not so visible of a haven. That type of haven is more for protection of our soul and mind.

At any rate, our sons and daughters are going to do some things outside of those coverings. Things we do not want for them. And there are times the things we do want for them are not going to happen, either. Parent's dreams either fade or are fulfilled in the midst of decisions by their sons and daughters.

Sometimes that is a good thing. Some of our dreams for our kids are simply ours. There are plenty of stories, songs and novels about this phenomenon. Yet, every parent must experience and awaken to it.

God has his dreams for us, we have our dreams for our own kids and one day, our kids will have dreams for their own kids, too.

I would say God's dreams for his kids are of the much purer variety and will ultimately lead to our good. That isn't too much of a stretch. But we've got to be "place" for God to offer some things found exclusively under his wings.
 

(1)https://www.ministrymagazine.org/archive/1995/03/a-hen-and-her-chicks