Dream, Surrender, Act: Responding to God's Call

A clear call rang out to stop shrinking dreams and start listening to God’s desires for a life. From childhood encounters with stories like George Müller to a ministry-school season of closed doors and confusion, the journey moved from depression and self-doubt into an invitation: dream with God again. Desires are not automatically fleshly; many are planted and watered by God Himself. The more a person draws close to Him, the more God’s concerns become their concerns. That intimacy stirs vision, and vision gives faith a landing place. It’s hard to steer a parked car—so start moving with God, trusting Him to prune and redirect.

This call is not limited to “church jobs.” Whether in business, education, arts, family, or formal ministry, God places unique assignments that meet real pain in the world. The faces of children in Peru and Nicaragua, the ache of abandonment, abuse, and poverty—these are meant to bother people who carry Christ. The line “I already have the solution, but they’re too busy” exposes how distraction numbs holy compassion. The point isn’t guilt; it’s partnership. Holy discontent is an invitation, not a burden.

Scripture paints the pattern. Hannah’s closed womb led not to bitterness but to a vow, and her praise rose after surrender, not before. Elijah’s request unlocked a widow’s provision as she poured out what little she had. Nehemiah’s delayed courage shows that burdens are meant to become bold action. And when self-disqualification shouts, the answer isn’t self-esteem—it’s Christ in you. No one is “good enough.” Jesus is, and He finishes what He starts. Those who cleanse themselves of even non-sinful weights become vessels ready for any good work. Trade the basket of rocks—hard-won, sentimental securities—for God’s diamonds. Let go of what’s good to make room for what’s God.

---

Key Takeaways

• 1. Dream with God beyond limits Dreaming in God’s presence is where faith begins. Start moving in a direction and let Him prune, redirect, and enlarge what you see. If the dream only fits what you can do, it’s probably too small. God’s assignments will stretch your comfort and reveal His strength. [27:35]
• 2. Let holy discontent lead you What breaks God’s heart should begin to break yours, and intimacy makes that happen. Don’t numb it; let it guide you to people and places where He wants to love through you. The ache isn’t random—often it’s your invitation. Distraction is the enemy of calling. [25:11]
• 3. Lack invites bold, obedient faith In Scripture, scarcity often opens doors for surrender and miracles. Hannah’s barrenness produced a life given back to God; the widow’s last meal multiplied when she poured it out. Don’t wait for abundance to obey—obedience often precedes provision. [35:26]
• 4. Stop self-disqualifying; Christ qualifies you It’s true you aren’t enough. That isn’t a lie to defeat but a truth to surrender. Calling depends on Jesus in you, not your résumé. Confidence grows when the center of the story shifts from your capacity to His sufficiency. [43:38]
• 5. Make room by surrendering good things God may ask you to drop not just sin but even good, comforting weights that slow your obedience. Clearing space is your part; filling it is His. Trade sentimental “rocks” for His “diamonds,” trusting His exchange rate is always in your favor. [47:30]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [16:06] - Called to focus on calling
• [17:34] - George Müller stirred a dream
• [19:00] - Learning to hear God’s heart
• [21:43] - Faces that break God’s heart
• [24:09] - “I already have the solution…”
• [26:17] - Dreaming with God births faith
• [27:35] - Forget limits; start moving
• [29:06] - God does beyond our ability
• [30:37] - Hannah’s anguish and vow
• [35:26] - Lack as invitation to faith
• [37:43] - Elijah, widow, and provision
• [43:23] - You aren’t enough—Christ is
• [47:30] - Trade rocks for diamonds
• [50:27] - Respond to your calling

Bible reading

1 Samuel 1:1-20

There was a certain man from Ramathaim, a Zuphite from the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Elkanah son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. He had two wives; one was called Hannah and the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none.

Year after year this man went up from his town to worship and sacrifice to the Lord Almighty at Shiloh, where Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were priests of the Lord. Whenever the day came for Elkanah to sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters. But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her, and the Lord had closed her womb. Because the Lord had closed Hannah’s womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her. This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the Lord, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat.

Her husband Elkanah would say to her, “Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don’t you eat? Why are you downhearted? Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?”

Once when they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on his chair by the doorpost of the Lord’s temple. In her deep anguish, Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly. And she made a vow, saying, “Lord Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.”

As she kept on praying to the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk and said to her, “How long are you going to stay drunk? Put away your wine.”

“Not so, my lord,” Hannah replied, “I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the Lord. Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief.”

Eli answered, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.”

She said, “May your servant find favor in your eyes.” Then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast.

Early the next morning they arose and worshiped before the Lord and then went back to their home at Ramah. Elkanah made love to his wife Hannah, and the Lord remembered her. So in the course of time Hannah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, “Because I asked the Lord for him.”

Observation questions

1. In 1 Samuel 1:1-20, what yearly rhythm frames the story, and how does Elkanah’s treatment of Hannah differ from his treatment of Peninnah?
2. According to 1 Samuel 1:1-20, who closed Hannah’s womb, and why might that detail matter for how we read the story?
3. What specific vow does Hannah make, and what changes in her demeanor right after Eli speaks to her in 1 Samuel 1:1-20?
4. What everyday picture was used to expose distraction—“I already have the solution, but they’re too busy”—and what was happening in that picture? [24:09]

Interpretation questions

1. If “the Lord had closed her womb,” what does that suggest about how God can use lack to form desire, surrender, and future impact? How might this connect to the idea that lack is meant to provoke holy action? [35:26]
2. Hannah’s praise comes after she surrenders Samuel, not before she conceives (see 1 Samuel 2 following 1:20). What does this order teach about worship on the far side of surrender?
3. “Dreaming is where faith starts… it’s hard to steer a parked car.” How does vision in God’s presence give faith a place to land, and what might “moving” look like before all answers are clear? [26:55]
4. “You aren’t called because you’re qualified; Jesus in you qualifies you.” Why is self-disqualification actually a form of pride, and how does shifting the center from personal capacity to Christ’s sufficiency change action? [43:38]

Application questions

1. “Forget limitations… God has way bigger dreams than you do.” What is one dream that feels too big for your ability, and what simple first step could you take toward it this week? [27:35]
2. “I already have the solution, but they’re too busy.” Whose face or which local need has been bothering you lately? What one distraction will you set aside this week so you can pay attention and show up? [24:09]
3. Elijah asked a starving widow to feed him first, and provision flowed as she poured out. Where do you feel lack right now (time, money, courage)? What concrete act of obedience will you take before you see more supply? [38:42]
4. “You don’t have the character, means, or resources—you aren’t enough. Jesus is.” What is your loudest “I’m not enough” sentence? Rewrite it into a Jesus-centered statement, and name one next step you’ll take because He is enough. [43:38]
5. Trade rocks for diamonds. What is one good, non-sinful weight or security you sense God asking you to lay down this month? How will you clear that space, and who can gently keep you accountable? [47:30]
6. Like Hannah, where might surrender turn heaviness into worship? What would it look like to practice praise after you release something precious (a written prayer of release, a song, a thankful list)?
7. “It’s hard to steer a parked car.” What decision or opportunity will you keep open-handed this week, ready to pivot if God says “go left” instead of “right”? [26:55]