It's amazing where we can find words of wisdom, if we would only listen. My wonderful wife Melody shared a quote with me this weekend. She is a big fan of the old black and white movies, which is where she heard this gem. The quote is this: "Man's desires are his prayers; everything in the realm of imagination is also in the realm of possibility" (From 1954 Movie "Riders to the Stars").

That phrase, "Man's desires are his prayers" really struck a cord with me. It proclaims a great truth about who we are and about what is really important to us if we will but think about it. I have known people throughout the years for whom it was quite easy to understand just what their dreams were. You didn't have to be around them very long, before you knew what was really important to them.

As I think back on my own life I can see a progression and hopefully a growth in my life. When I was a preteen I read every adventure book I could find. I really thought I might like to be a forest ranger. Then I discovered a larger world and became very interested in flight and outer space. Then, as is typical in teen years, I first focused on cars and then came to notice girls. Then of course I focused upon one girl, who's been my girl for the past 41 years.

"Man's desires are his prayers ..."

In my early 20's all of the teaching my parents had been doing kicked in and Melody and I began to focus more on God and serving him. I quit my job and we traveled a thousand miles to go to school and learn better how to serve God and his people. That's been my focus now for close to 40 years. I may have some side interests, but my focus is serving God and his people. Someone once commented, "All you guys talk about is church and church stuff." We took it as a great complement, though that was not the way they meant it.

Our focus and our dream has taken us on many great adventures! We have lived in and visited places in our world which many people only see in the movies, all the time following the dream. Our dream which became our focus and the center of our prayers changed our lives, "Man's desires are his prayers; everything in the realm of imagination is also in the realm of possibility."

Notice what Jesus tells us about reaching for our dreams and prayers:

But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible" (Matthew 19:26 NKJV).

Lessons from a Sheep Dog: A True Story of Transforming Love by Phillip Keller Allow yourself to see Biblical truth in this classic tale of what can happen when you yield to the Master.

Russ Lawson is a former missionary to Africa and minister in Ohio. He now works with World Christian Literature Outreach and writes a weekly email devotional, Messages from the Heart. For more information about Russ, click here.

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