It is not uncommon for people to share dreams that they have had with me in counseling sessions. I think we can all relate to having certain dreams, especially if they are reoccurring, that can really have an impact as we wake up the following morning. From ancient times, dreams have been valued for the language that they speak to us during the night.
For God speaks again and again, though people do not recognize it. He speaks in dreams, in visions of the night, when deep sleep falls on people as they lie in their beds (Job 33:14-15,NLT).
There are several different examples in the Old and New Testament scriptures of God using dreams to communicate different messages to people. Joseph had a gift of interpreting dreams, which opened a door of position with Pharaoh and saved the Israelites from famine. As Joseph shared the meaning of Pharaoh’s dreams and by God’s wisdom a plan to prepare for the coming famine, Pharaoh recognized that God was revealing this strategy to Joseph,
The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his officials. So Pharaoh asked them, “Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?” Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you” (Genesis 41:37-40, NIV).
Wow! Talk about the power of dream language! If you’re like me, I know there can be times when your dreams may just seem like a mixture of inconsequential things like the pizza you had for dinner and the movie you watched before going to bed. And certainly, there can be plenty of dreams that are your subconscious mind reorganizing thoughts and processing things from your waking life. But every once in a while, you’ll have a dream that leaves you feeling as if God is really trying to get your attention. In the New Testament, we find another Joseph that receives an important message by dream.
…An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt (Matthew 2:13-14, NIV).
God entrusted the safety of Jesus to his earthly father, Joseph, through a dream. There were other ways that God could have gotten this urgent message to Joseph, but he chose to use a dream instead. These are just two examples showing the power that dreams can carry. I have learned through the years to keep a dream journal in recording certain dreams that I believe have deeper meaning to them. I can testify that God has used dreams through the years to communicate ways he is moving and working in and around my life. If you would like to dig deeper in understanding dream language, I would like to invite you to a dream workshop that my friend Brian McLaughlin is offering next Saturday, January 27. There is a link below with a place to register and get more information.
Steps in Pursuit
- Use your phone, or a journal to begin recording dreams that you feel may carry a message in them.
- Review dreams recorded in scripture and notice how people valued their dreams and acted on them. Joseph’s life is a great example found beginning in Genesis 37.
- You can find several good resources on dream interpretation written by Christian authors on the internet, but one that I believe is a real practical help is Hearing God Through Your Dreams, by Mark Virkler and Charity Virkler Kayembe.
Ask God to bless your dreams and help you begin to recognize when he is releasing deeper meaning in them. You may be surprised at what unfolds as you begin to be more aware of the language of dreams.
Continue the Pursuit,
Denise
