From a Quiet Dream to a Bold Prayer

But godliness actually is a source of great gain when accompanied by contentment [that contentment which comes from a sense of inner confidence based on the sufficiency of God].
1 Timothy 6:6 AMP

Driving in the car, I chatted with a friend I’d picked up from the airport. I was telling her about our recent move from the country to the city—and the house for which I’d been praying for seventeen years. As I shared some details of our new house, I explained that I’d made a list of all the things I wanted in my home. The thing that piqued her interest was the most embarrassing thing that escaped my lips that day. Without intending to, I blurted out something I’d tucked away in a corner of my heart.

“I want a house I can be proud to invite people over to visit.” It sounded prideful and shameful simultaneously, yet it was a hidden, unconfessed truth I’d only spoken to the Lord and my husband. Not that I was unthankful for the home in which I previously lived, but deep-down there was a whispered lie I’d wrestled with, telling me I couldn’t have, nor did I deserve, anything better. It felt so vulnerable admitting it out loud. And yet, her response surprised me.

“I know how that feels—to not want to be ashamed to have people over,” she began. “How did you do it?”

Vulnerabilty Between Friends

In that moment, I realized we were so similar—two women who had dreams tucked away in the quiet places of our hearts, sometimes wondering if those dreams were too big to share. It’s easy to get comfortable with what you have; to give up believing in a dream. But our dreams, even the big impossible ones, don’t scare God. He has none of our limitations—not in ability or imagination.

I told her how I’d taken part in a Bible study with my small group many years ago. We’d read The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson. I’d written every detail of the home I hoped for, paired each request with a scripture, and kept circling those prayers year after year, even when they felt impossible. My needs changed with different seasons of life, and as the needs changed, I adjusted what I’d written, found new passages of scripture, and kept praying. Mark Batterson explains the purpose of writing the things for which you pray by saying, “It insures that I don’t forget what I’m praying for. It also insures that God gets the glory when the miracles happen.”[1]

“You intercede until God intervenes.” – Mark Batterson

Here’s the thing, though. You can’t stop praying. Mark Batterson puts it this way: “You intercede until God intervenes.”[2] There were times I felt like giving up. Many times, in fact. I could see our circumstances and the impossibility of it all. I knew all the reasons it was impossible—all the reasons nobody knew but us and God. But there were so many things God knew that we didn’t, and He knew the dreams planted in my heart had a purpose beyond my desires. So we lived our life and prayed. We went to work and prayed. We paid the bills and reared our boys, but the dream was always there, circled in prayer.

As the years went by, I saw the prayers I’d written. There were times I would question why I should keep believing for a house. I knew God could work miracles. I knew He loved me enough to want me to have the best things that my character could support. But with each flip of the calendar page, I would wonder why the delay.

Just Have a Little Talk with Jesus

One sunny afternoon, I lounged in my backyard chair and talked to God about it. I wanted to come-clean with Him, to lay it all out on the line. I confessed my doubts, admitting that I felt silly praying for something that seemed so far beyond our means. Maybe I was just dreaming too big, I thought. Maybe, instead of believing for God to work this miracle, I needed to just be content with what I had. After all, Hebrews 13:5b says “be content with such things as ye have” (KJV).

But as I sat there, soaking in the sun’s warmth, I felt a gentle nudge in my spirit. He tenderly reminded me that being content didn’t mean I had to stop dreaming. He knew I was thankful for and content with what He’d already provided. The “more” I was longing for wasn’t selfish; it had a purpose. The peace that washed over me at that moment was unmistakable. It was as if God was saying, “It’s okay to want more. It’s okay to believe Me for bigger things because I have a plan for it all.” Dreaming for bigger things doesn’t make you less thankful for the things you already have.

Godliness with Contentment

My pastor recently shared a message about how God satisfies the righteous. While he gave many passages from the Word to support the sermon, one scripture he shared was 1 Timothy 6:6. In the Amplified version, it says, “But godliness actually is a source of great gain when accompanied by contentment [that contentment which comes from a sense of inner confidence based on the sufficiency of God].”

Contentment in this verse means, “A perfect condition of life in which no aid or support is needed; sufficiency of the necessities of life, self-satisfaction; Satisfaction with what one has.”[3] But as my pastor said, “If your heart isn’t right with God, even if you have all the stuff, you aren’t satisfied.”[4] You need both—a heart in right-standing with God and contentment with the things He has already provided. It is in knowing He is the one who supplies our need, because of His goodness and love for us, not because of our own merit, that we can trust Him for those things and even more!

Contentment vs. Complacency

My pastor clarified, however, that the Word doesn’t say, “But godliness with complacency is great gain” (1 Timothy 6:6, misquoted). The trap I’d fallen into before my tête-à-tête with God on that lounge chair in the sun was one of complacency. Complacency means, “marked by self-satisfaction, especially when accompanied by unawareness of actual dangers or deficiencies.”[5]

By settling for being satisfied with what I had and no longer praying and believing for the good things God wanted me to have that I hadn’t yet obtained, the timetable of what God wanted me to walk in was going to be further delayed or never achieved. All because I didn’t know, was unaware of, the actual deficiency. This reminds me of the passage from Hosea 4:6a, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge [of My law, where I reveal My will]” (AMP). In that passage, that lack of knowledge affects the following generations, too!

If you are in a season where you vacillate between being content with what you have and daring to dream for more, I understand. It’s a tender place to be, balancing gratitude with the hope of something greater. But remember, God knows your heart. He knows the desires you’ve tucked away, the ones you’ve maybe stopped praying for because they seem too big or too far out of reach. He isn’t limited by our circumstances or by what we think is possible.

Spell it Out

Matthew 7:11 says, “If you then, evil (sinful by nature) as you are, know how to give good and advantageous gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven [perfect as He is] give what is good and advantageous to those who keep on asking Him” (AMP). It’s okay to ask God for the desires of your heart! He already knows them, and He delights in hearing you share your dreams with Him. He is a good Father, and He desires to bless His children! Psalms 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and petitions of your heart” (AMP).

So, take a moment. Write those dreams, desires, and goals no matter how impossible they might seem. Mark Batterson wrote, “If you don’t spell it out for yourself, you have no way of knowing if you’ve achieved it.”[6] Search your heart to determine why you want those things and pair them with promises from God’s Word. Then pray over those things and don’t stop praying until you see it come to pass. As Mark Batterson wrote and I previously quoted, “intercede until God intervenes.” Keep praying, keep believing. Your dreams are not too big for God.

In Your Contentment, Remember This: He Has Purpose for You!

You’re not selfish for wanting God’s blessings; contentment and dreaming big work hand-in-hand. The dreams He’s placed in your heart might just be the very things He wants to use to bless others through you. He’s a good Father, and He wants to give you good gifts—not just for your own sake, but for the sake of the purpose He’s placed on your life. So dream big, my friend, while embracing contentment in the present. You are worthy of the dreams He’s placed in your heart. Perhaps He’s waiting to see how much you truly desire to follow His call!

Want to get a jumpstart on writing down some life goals and big dreams you can start believing God for and praying over?

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[1] Mark Batterson, The Circle Maker: Praying Circles Around Your Biggest Dreams and Greatest Fears (Michigan: Zondervan, 2011), 28.

[2] Ibid., 35.

[3] G841 – autarkeia – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (kjv).” Blue Letter Bible. Accessed 7 Nov, 2024. https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g841/kjv/tr/0-1/

[4] NewLifeAugusta. “Livestream,” New Life Church, streamed live on November 6, 2024, YouTube video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hs4snFJeYVI&t=3870s.

[5] Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, s.v. “complacent,” accessed November 7, 2024, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/complacent.

[6] Mark Batterson, The Circle Maker: Praying Circles Around Your Biggest Dreams and Greatest Fears (Michigan: Zondervan, 2011), 29.