When Dreams Don’t Come True

“Now it came to pass when the king was dwelling in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies all around, that the king said to Nathan the prophet, ‘See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells inside tent curtains.’ Then Nathan said to the king, ‘Go, do all that is in your heart, for the Lord is with you.’” (2 Samuel 7:1-3)

I love turning to Scripture in times of doubt and disappointment. My faith has taught me that there really isn’t anything that can happen to me in life that Scripture cannot help me to understand and accept. Indeed, the Bible really is the owner’s manual we should consult when things don’t seem to be working out.

One thing that comes our way – particularly later in life – is the reality that some of our dreams are just not going to happen. This disappointment can threaten our faith and often make us bitter. After all, if the Bible says that God will give us the desires of our hearts, why do we often find ourselves disappointed with him when those dreams that we hold closest to our hearts go unfulfilled?

When I turn to II Samuel and see that King David was denied one of his lifelong desires, I don’t just find solace in the disappointment that he experienced, I find comfort that God’s love for me has not diminished.

No one is remembered more in the Bible for his heart for God than David. In fact, even God described him as a man after his own heart. (I Samuel 13:14). God blessed David richly in life. He ascended from the lowly rank of a shepherd boy to become the greatest king that Israel ever had.

But later in life, David apparently took stock of his blessings and felt that he had somehow cheated God. Here he lived in lavish surroundings, yet God did not have a permanent home for his church to worship. As he put it, “God dwells inside tent curtains”. (II Samuel 7:2)

He confided in the prophet Nathan who encouraged him to build the temple.

No one could have done it better than David. He commanded the resources that would have been necessary. The Bible records that it took seven years to build the temple. That kind of time would not just require that sufficient resources be available, but someone with the charisma and leadership of David could make it happen rather effortlessly.

God disagreed and told Nathan to tell David that he would not build the temple. Can you imagine the disappointment? Here is a man who owed God everything, loved God more than life itself, and had everything at his disposal. Yet God said no!

It is at this point in the story that we can draw from David when disappointment comes our way. How did David react to Nathan’s declaration? Did he grow bitter? Did he blame God? Did he initiate a self-assessment of his life in an effort to find the answer? No. He accepted reality and thanked God for the many blessings that he enjoyed. “And now, O Lord God, you are God, and your words are true, and you have promised this goodness to your servant. Now therefore, let it please you to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue before you forever; for you, O Lord God, have spoken it, and with your blessing let the house of Your servant be blessed forever.” (II Samuel 7:28-29)

When disappointments in the form of unfulfilled dreams come our way, we should thank God for what he has done for us instead of asking “why”. The Lord told Isaiah, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:9) David accepted this truth and moved on rather than agonizing over it.

I have a lot I still want to do with my life. There are several unfulfilled dreams that I hope to see accomplished. Hopefully, God is on the same page with me. But if he says no, I am grateful for what he has already done for me and refuse to sulk about what was never meant to happen.