"The abnegation of reason is not the evidence of faith, but the confession of despair."
- J.B. Lightfoot
Saturday, February 13, 2010
My lovely wife told me that she had a dream last night and that she thought that it "meant something." I'm a pretty weak dream interpreter, so, sadly, I didn't really have any profound insight for her.
I do think, though, that God frequently speaks to people through dreams. For the past few years I've had "God dreams" on a semi-frequent basis. I can't quite put my finger on what makes a dream so obviously from Yahweh, as opposed to just a random Ronald-McDonald-walking-through-the-street type dream, but I do know that some dreams I have simply resonate with me, and I feel like I know that God is trying to tell me something.
A good friend of mine seems to be gifted in interpretation of dreams, so after a big dream I often call or email him to get his thoughts. Most of the time I think his interpretations are pretty much right on, but other times I've dismissed his thoughts in favor of something else I think God is trying to tell me. It's not an exact science.
What do you all think? Has God ever spoken to you all through dreams?
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Comments on "Dream On ":
2. Jeff
- 02/13/2010 5:17 pm CST
I wonder if it's a question of whether He sends the dream, or the interpretation? I don't mean to dismiss the idea of God-inspired dreams, since it's all through the Bible. But having a mind centered on the Word would allow you to apply God's perspective to any input: your circumstances, music, art,... and dreams. It seems like that would be the prerequisite to any benefit from dreams (which would be why Nebuchadnezzar needed Daniel, for example).
3. Jared
- 02/13/2010 5:27 pm CST
I've never had a dream, that I can remember, that i believed God was trying to tell me something in, but I believe he can and does do that.
Fwiw, I'm a pretty good interpreter of dreams myself, although it usually involves knowing something about people's lives and circumstances. It's not a magical thing or something explicitly miraculous like Daniel for Nebudchadnezzar.
4. Bird
- 02/13/2010 8:59 pm CST
I've never had a dream, that I can remember, that i believed God was trying to tell me something in
I don't think I had either, until about three years ago.
Fwiw, I'm a pretty good interpreter of dreams myself, although it usually involves knowing something about people's lives and circumstances.
If I have time I'll run my latest one by you via email to see what you think.
5. Molly
- 02/13/2010 11:49 pm CST
I try not to read into all of my dreams too much, but I do believe that God has spoken to me through dreams several times, especially in the past few years. It's never of "prophetic" nature, but usually more of Him revealing to me things in my heart. I usually feel they are from God if they are vivid, and emotional and if they deeply impact me. And, of course, if they are contain Truth in them and aren't just random. I've dreamed very, very real dreams about death, or really, my fear of dying, and heard Him speak to me in my dream about it; this past week I've had two very real dreams about praying intensely for people to get healed and seeing them healed (one was a hurt knee, the other was telling someone crippled on the ground to get up and walk). Still not sure what that means.
6. damien
- 02/14/2010 10:17 am CST
i've always thought that when people say god is "trying" to do something it reflects a less than almighty view of god. i think of lassie trying to tell timmy something when all he can do is bark, nudge and point with his snout. god does as he pleases and is never handicapped by any inadequacy or shortcoming. when he wants to get through he gets through. when he wants to confuse he confuses. when he wants to arouse interest he arouses interest. this is very comforting to me because it means i never have to read the tea leaves. my ignorance or thick-headedness present no obstacle to god.
he has spoken in his word, the scriptures. they are useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness so that i may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. in past times god spoke in many ways but today he has spoken to us through his son. i don't need to do anything but become a better student of his word in regard to hearing from him.
and anytime he wants to get something across to me there's no way i can dodge it or miss it.
7. Bird
- 02/14/2010 10:22 am CST
i've always thought that when people say god is "trying" to do something it reflects a less than almighty view of god
Perhaps I should have written that was "telling me something" rather than "trying to tell me something."
It's never of "prophetic" nature, but usually more of Him revealing to me things in my heart.
Molly, that's a good distinction. I'm not sure what I think of "prophetic dreams." That starts to sound a little too TBNish for me. I'm with you in that my dreams from God are usually a revelation to me of something that's already going on, or already inside of me.
8. Bill
- 02/14/2010 2:24 pm CST
I don't want to be a contrarian, I'm genuinely curious what others think:
First, I agree (and it's a peeve of mine) when people use the words "trying" when it comes to God doing something, although I know what they mean and I'm sure I've said it myself.
But doesn't this imply that we don't come out of the box hearing everything God is saying to us?
"i don't need to do anything but become a better student of his word in regard to hearing from him."
I don't mean to imply that God is saying "I really want Bill to hear this but I can't get through to him". But I just think it's not as simple as: "and anytime he wants to get something across to me there's no way i can dodge it or miss it."
Thoughts?
9. Chris M
- 02/14/2010 7:22 pm CST
I was brought up nominal Roman Catholic and was a rather lapsed "believer" by the time I hit my mid-twenties. My life in most areas was indistinguishable from anyone else my age in a secular setting.
The thing is, I would occassionally have dreams about the Second Coming which would become increasingly clearer as each dream progressed; I would always wake up in a panic. These cumulated into a final dream where Gods judgment on the earth was occuring and I was running into a field. I encountered a woman and her children and we proceeded to pray as she told me that God was separating the "wheat and the tares". Just then a sword ploughed into the haystack where we were praying and we were immediately lifted into the sky where a majestic male clothed in white announced that we were all spared the judgment. His last words were ,"now you shall live a life of salvation. Awake! Begin!"
I woke up still sore from where I felt my spirit was lifted to heaven and was physically naseous. I asked God if that meant I should start going back to church which I did; this was on Good Friday in 1997 and I have hopefully been growing in faith ever since.
p.s. I am a Calvinist who is also a cessationist and partial preterist with an amillenial eschatology. This may not of been God talking directly to me but He must have had some control over it
p.p.s The string of end-times dreams ended with that one
10. G. Frederick
- 02/15/2010 12:38 am CST
These kinds of discussions make me feel a little like Charlie Brown in the cartoon where Linus and Lucy and Charlie were looking at the clouds and Linus and Lucy were seeing very profound things in the clouds and were able to describe them and Charlie Brown said, "I was going to say I see a ducky and a horsey, but now I won't." I would say that I don't dream, but I have been told that everyone dreams (out of necessity, unless you never reach the REM sleep stage,and if you don't you would be very worn out all the time)so I must say that if I dream, I never wake up aware of it and never remember it. Too bad, when I was young I did dream and remember them, but I don't remember any of them seeming like they were from God or even spiritual in nature...I was a very normal hormone-controlled male creature, then.
11. Quaid
- 02/15/2010 8:04 am CST
I had a professor who told me of graduates serving in Muslim countries who had muslims they had witnessed to approach them later on and tell them that they had explicit dreams where Christ revealed himself to them, told them to repent and be saved. This is second-hand information and, therefore, somewhat hearsay, but I trust the source, and I, at least, believe it to be not only possible but even probable that God would use dreams to bring people into fellowship with Him.
I think dreams most often are our subconscious reliving, replaying, and/or reviewing past events over in our minds, often through symbols or symbolic situations. I think God can move through these instances.
If you're interested in reading about it, one of the books I had to read for a counseling class, "Care of Souls" by Benner, has a chapter devoted to dreams and dream interpretation relative to Christian Counseling. It's written for the pastor/lay-leader and doesn't have overly technical language that might pose any vernacular barrier. It might be worth 15 minutes, or so, in the library.
Having said all this, I can only remember one time where I felt like God may have been speaking to me through a dream. (It was just over a year ago)
12. Bill
- 02/15/2010 8:12 am CST
My parents in law were missionaries in Ukraine and saw at least one conversion (that I recall) based on a Muslim having had Christ reveal himself to her in a dream.
Leave a Comment:
I once thought that God was telling me something in a dream. I had it completely wrong ... of course, let me make it clear that I know that means that I was wrong, not that He misled me.
Does it happen? Absolutely.
I have very little experience with it, though I do know a family that pretty consistently gets messages. Most often, the husband will pray for something and the wife will dream about it. (Insert jokes here, but I'm serious ...)
Blessings!