This week in particular, I've been dreaming a lot and I've been taking the time to stop and take notice because I've found that my dreams hold meaning and are often about God wanting to get a message across or remind me about something.
Sometimes, my dreams are also a call to pray and intercede for someone and God will show me something that perhaps is going on in their lives so I better know how and what to pray about.
I think God speaks in our dreams because it's impacting and also because we can get too busy to stop and listen. It's also a way to speak to us regarding areas of our hearts that our minds don't want to acknowledge, but God will reveal these things in visions and dreams.
Through visions and dreams, God can get past our conscious self-defense mechanisms and reveal the true condition of our hearts and/or situations. This allows us to pay attention and listen to God. He can also speak to someone else in a vision or dream with a specific message for us or cause our attention to be directed to intercede for another person..
God used visions and dreams throughout the Bible to guide, reveal, and instruct. Joseph and Daniel had visions and dreams and interpreted theirs and other people's dreams. Their dreams revealed people's hearts and told of the future.
God will even speak in a dream or vision to those who don't profess to know or believe in Him to fulfil His purposes. (Genesis 37:5-9; 40; Genesis 41 Daniel 1:17)
The images we see in our dreams may reveal a coherent message or seem to make no sense at first at all. In my experience of interpreting dreams, there are often particular objects, people, or places God uses to symbolise specific people or situations and God will bring revelation if we wait and ask, which is why it's good to write down and date your dreams.
It is, however, important to understand that we can all have what I call "pizza dreams", like when we've eaten too late and experienced a disturbed sleep. We can have jumbled dreams from a busy, over-anxious mind, which is our mind trying to sort out our previous day.
That's why it's a good idea to spend some time before we sleep reading the Bible and asking for forgiveness and for him to minister healing for any mess-ups or struggles we may have faced throughout our day. We can also give any busyness and concerns of our day over to Jesus before going to sleep. Then, when we dream or have a vision, we can be more confident that God is revealing and speaking to us, not just "the pizza".
If we think that God has communicated with us the Bible is the best place to confirm whether the message we have received truly came from God. If it doesn't sound like how God speaks in His word, caution is always wise. It's also worthwhile sharing what has been revealed to us with other Christians who know God and His Word well.
Dreams and visions are designed to speak directly to our hearts and biblically and historically, have been a legitimate method God uses to impart visionary revelation, and it continues to be today. Ultimately, God desires to bring us closer to Him so that he can impart His plans and purposes for us and our communities. He also wants to enable us to communicate with others with wisdom and revelation.
Today I encourage you to consider the dreams and visions you may have had. Write them down, date them, pray, and seek God regarding what they may mean. You can also ask God for the spirit of revelation and wisdom so that you might know Him better. (Ephesians 1:18)
God never does anything without a purpose, and if you've had a dream or vision from Him, you can be sure it is for a reason so ask, and expect God to bring revelation and He will. Then don't be surprised if you start to have a lot more of God speaking to you in your dreams.
"I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better." (Ephesians 1:17)
"For God does speak—now one way, now another—though no one perceives it. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on people as they slumber in their beds. Then He opens the ears of men, and seals their instruction". (Job 33:14-16)
"If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you." (James 1:5)
Prayer: Lord, thank you that you desire to speak to me and draw me closer to you. Please remind me of any visions or dreams you have given, and help me understand and grasp what you were saying. Please release to me in greater measure visions and dreams from heaven. In Jesus' name, Amen.
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