Years ago, one of my mentors took me on a tour of an old building he planned to renovate. As we walked through the dilapidated structure, he told me his vision to rebuild. He spoke with such joy about the restoration project that, despite the dust and decay, I found myself excited, too.
The work ahead looked daunting, but he was eager to bring life back into the shattered rooms. The previous owner had left behind several old furniture pieces. As I commented on them, he explained how he planned to restore and reuse them.
We climbed to the roof, looked out over the city lights, and dreamed together about the journey ahead.
And then I woke up.
A Dream and a Risk
I chuckled and half-heartedly asked God, “Why in the world am I dreaming about Bob Hamp?”
Unexpectedly, I heard Him say, “Tell Bob about your dream.”
“WHAT? Are you kidding me? As You know, I barely know Bob Hamp—and when I say ‘barely,’ that’s a generous exaggeration of our relationship.”
Allow me to pause and explain.
Bob Hamp has been an important part of my freedom journey. I’ve sat under his teaching, followed his ministry, and attended events where he spoke. God used him to help heal me, and his biblical concepts have become foundational for all I do.
I met Bob twice. And by “met,” I mean I simply said, “Hi Bob, I’m Betty. I wanted to thank you for what you do. God has used your teachings to change my life.”
He responded warmly, “I’m glad to hear the impact I’ve made in your life. Thanks for telling me.” The lady behind me gently nudged me to move aside so she could have her turn.
Have I painted a clear picture? I dreamed about someone I didn’t really know, and God wanted me to share the dream with him.
Back to my conversation with God…
“You asked Me to speak to you through dreams and visions. I’ve answered your prayer. Now tell Bob.”
“But why couldn’t You give me a dream about someone I do know?” I offered a list of alternative suggestions.
“That would be too easy for you.”
God had cornered me and gave me two choices: I could chalk the dream up to bad pizza and move on, or I could respond to God and reach out to Bob.
The dream played like a vivid movie. Even sitting on the edge of my bed, staring out the window, I recalled every detail. Could God be sending Bob a special message?
I glanced across the room at my laptop. “I need to send the message before I chicken out.” I think I heard God chuckle.
I opened Facebook. Did I mention we were friends? But then again, so were 4,494 other people.
The green light next to his name showed he was online. If I sent the message now, he might read it right away. Pride flared. I’ve been on the receiving end of “I have a word for you,” and honestly, there were times I thought, That’s a word… but not from God.
What will Bob think?
Stop imagining the worst-case scenario and just type. I finished the message, hit enter, and left the house for a run.
I didn’t realize it at the time, but God was using a simple dream to invite me into something much bigger: His ongoing work of speaking and restoring. That’s what He has been doing from the very beginning.
The Word That Holds It All Together
Through the prophet Isaiah, God said, “It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it” (Isaiah 55:11, NLT). God speaks with authority and purpose. His word releases life.
The author of Hebrews tells us that God “sustains all things by his powerful word” (Hebrews 1:3a, NIV). What a fascinating statement. The verb sustains is in the present tense, meaning God’s word is still (even now) holding everything together.
I later discovered that Stanford University houses a linear accelerator. In basic terms, it’s a two-mile-long atom smasher. By breaking apart atoms, scientists can study the tiniest building blocks of matter.
Stick with me… I’m not about to turn into a mad scientist.
In their investigations, researchers uncovered a strange force that holds everything together. Even the world’s brightest minds are baffled. They don’t know what to call this phenomenon. They simply refer to it as “cosmic glue.”
Long before the invention of the linear accelerator, the writer of Hebrews told us the force holding all things together is Jesus. And He, the universe-sustaining power, lives inside you and me. Even greater still, when we release the powerful word living within us, we bring chaos into order, separate light from darkness, and speak direction, definition, and clarity into the world. God enables us to take part in what He is doing on the earth.
What we hear, see, or even dream becomes a kind of cosmic glue when we respond to what He has spoken or revealed.
Partnering With God
We see this in Adam’s relationship with the Father:
“Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the sky, and to every beast of the field” (Genesis 2:19-20, NIV).
We often skim these verses because they’re familiar, but within them lies a foundational truth: From the beginning, God empowered man to name what he observed in creation and express the essence of what God had made. The Creator could have named the animals Himself, but instead, He invited Adam to partner with Him.
We see this same invitation to partnership repeated throughout the Scriptures.
Connected to the One who holds all things together, Ezekiel stood before a valley of dry bones, and God asked, “Can these bones live?”
I sometimes imagine Ezekiel’s honest response as, “Ahhhhhh, seriously God, I don’t have a clue! Only You know the answer to that one” (Ezekiel 37:3, my paraphrase).
God could have spoken to the bones Himself, but instead, He gave Ezekiel the authority to speak life-producing words:
“Speak a prophetic message to these bones and say, ‘Dry bones, listen to the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Look! I am going to put breath into you and make you live again! I will put flesh and muscles on you and cover you with skin. I will put breath into you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord’” (Ezekiel 37:4-6, NLT).
As Ezekiel spoke, life entered those dry, scattered bones.
You Were Made to Hear
Adam and Ezekiel were humans like us. They walked with God and accepted His invitation to join what He was doing on the earth. That same invitation is open to all of us.
God created you and me to hear His voice and gave us the freedom to choose how we respond.
He did not design us to hear Him only on special occasions. We were made for constant communion. We were made to hear, obey, and respond as a way of life.
In Hebrew, the word shema means to hear, obey, and respond. Shema is not passive listening. To shema is to listen with the intent to obey. In Hebrew thought, hearing and doing are inseparable.
Later that morning, I opened my laptop. There was a message in my inbox. I began to read:
“Betty!!! You have NO IDEA but thank you for taking the risk of sending this to me!”
He was about to sign a lease on a property within the next couple of hours. Bob’s new adventure included rebuilding and restoring and old office building. He was excited about the project and even more encouraged to learn God had given me a dream confirming the work He was doing through Bob.
My life intersected with Bob’s because God loves to invite His sons and daughters into what He’s doing on the earth. Through that dream, I had the opportunity to affirm what God was doing in Bob’s life. It was as if God said to him, “This cool new project you’re really excited about? I planted it in your heart. Enjoy this new phase of your life.”
After that dream, Bob and I became friends. His guidance and wisdom in ministry have been invaluable, shaping the way I stepped into what God was calling me to do.
I’m not going to bed every night waiting for another dream, but I do continue to pray for more of Jesus in my life. I want more opportunities to re-present Him to a world that needs chaos ordered, light in their darkness, and new things created.
That one dream became the beginning of a friendship and a season of deeper faith for both of us.
How about you?
Do you want God to use you to define what He’s doing on the earth? Invite Him to speak to you through His Word, dreams, or visions. Ask Him to give you words that reflect His heart and draw others closer to Him
Prayer of Invitation:
Jesus, I believe You are the cosmic glue that holds all things together. I welcome You to speak to me. Help me to listen with the intent to obey what You say.
This Week: Journal Through These Questions
- What does “hearing God” mean to you personally? Are you interested in cultivating that ability?
- The Hebrew word shema means to hear, obey, and respond. How might embracing this deeper meaning change the way you relate to God?
- Jesus is the “cosmic glue” holding all things together. How does this truth change how you experience His presence in your daily life?
