I have a dream

February is Black History Month here in the United States. Those words, uttered by Dr. Martin Luther King, have inspired many to stretch and attempt to do things that they otherwise would not have considered. His dream was a a world where the color of a man's skin would no longer matter, where children could play together and simply be children, regardless of race.

We all have dreams and hopes, for life to be better, for the world to be a happier and more peaceful place, for our children and grandchildren to grow up safe and secure. Some dreams are so big that they seem impossible to ever achieve, but without big dreams, many of the great things that have been done might never have been accomplished. Men walking on the moon or spacecraft taking pictures of distant planets seemed impossible dreams in the early part of the 20th century, but they were accomplished because people dared to dream big.

Those dreams are usually not literally ones that come to us during the night, but they are what we aspire to achieve. We can think through the things we want to achieve, but the dreams that come when we are asleep are not always logical or easy to decipher. Sometimes they do inspire us, but other times they just puzzle or even frighten us. 

Have you ever wondered about the dreams you have during the night? I have had some strange ones that seem to come out of nowhere. Others I can pretty much trace to what I was reading or watching shortly before bed: oh, I remember that from the movie that I was just watching; that storyline seems familiar, oh yes, that was in the book I was reading. Was it something I ate, or is someone or something trying to tell me something? There have been a number of dreams that I have had that seemed to have an urgency to them, like there was something I needed to know from the dream.

I remember my mother telling me about a dream she had not long before our home was flooded. In the dream, she saw people sitting on rooftops with flood waters swirling around them. The experts believed the levee, if it broke, would give way on the other side of the river from our house, so all the car dealers moved their new cars to our side of the river. My folks waited while the river rose, then decided to not take any chances and head out of town; as they stopped to get gas, they heard the levee break and were fortunately far enough away to get away safely. People who had stayed behind were literally rescued from their rooftops in many cases, but our family was safely out of town. Was her dream a warning, or was it merely the product of an active imagination? She was convinced that it was a warning, and I think so as well.

There are many examples of warnings coming through dreams in the Bible, both to people who were following God and those who did not. Pharaoh dreamed about seven years of prosperity followed by seven years of famine; God gave that to him so that he could prepare his land for the lean years and preserve the lives of many. Joseph, the husband of Mary, was warned in a dream that Herod would be looking for Jesus to kill him so that they could escape to safety. In another dream, he was alerted that those who were seeking the life of Jesus were dead and it was safe to return home.

Not every dream is from God, but I am convinced that God does speak to us in dreams many times if we will listen and learn to understand them. Most dreams are not literal but figurative, and we each have our own dream language. I love dogs and cats, so generally a dog or cat is a positive thing in my dreams. Someone who has been bitten or scratched probably would not have the same feeling if a dog or cat was in his or her dream. God seems to love word plays; a television set may telling us be something about 'vision' or spiritual sight (tell a vision).

Some dreams are definitely not from God. If the dream is full of darkness and fear, more of a nightmare than a dream, it may well be from another source. There are other spiritual forces at work, that would like nothing more than to terrify and move us away from God.

So how can we know when a dream is from God and has meaning beyond just the late night snack we ate or the movie we watched? A good place to start is to ask God: are you telling me something here, God? What is it, what do I need to know? Some dreams are telling us about our own spiritual condition, things we might not recognize any other way. Others are about what we were created to do, or  about something that is coming—a warning or something that we simply need to be prepared for that is coming our way. I had a dream a few years ago, and when I woke and reflected on it, I realized that God was telling me about some changes that were coming at work and how I should respond. Sure enough, several months later, the changes that I sensed from the dream came to pass, and I knew exactly what I needed to do in response. Without that dream, I would most certainly have been surprised by the changes and would not have had the peace that I did through the whole experience.

Have you had dreams that you knew meant something but weren't quite sure what? We would like to hear from you if you would like to share them. We would be honored to pray for you as well if you would like. Send us your dream or prayer request at prayer@g3-rains.com, or fill out the contact form on our Contact page. Your prayer request, as well as your comments, will be kept confidential, and you will not be added to any mailing lists.

February 10, 2008