We all do it; dream that is. If you’re like me, by the time you are fully awake to recall a dream, it has vanished like a puff of smoke. Only a small handful of these nocturnal ‘mini-epics’ have I been able to retain in vivid detail. I believe God uses dreams to speak to us at times to avoid the distraction of our conscious minds and allow us to retrieve these images as well as the messages they convey. In them, he can teach life lessons, relieve fears, reveal future events if necessary or even give direction and purpose for ones life.
I remember one such dream. At the time, even though I didn’t realize the significance of its message until many weeks later, when I woke that morning, I definitely knew there was one! What was the dream you ask? Well, I was alone at home and all was quite and calm. Then, I heard a very loud ‘train-like’ roar that seemed to engulf the entire house. Without thought, I immediately went to the garage and raised the door to witness a huge black cloud that was violently ripping apart everything in its path. With its twisting and turning, it gained strength as it continued to approach my home. Considering the obvious danger this scene presented, it would seem logical at this point to panic and run for whatever shelter I could find. Yet, that was not the case. Instead, I stood unmoved in an indescribable state of calm watching the storm as it devoured everything in sight and continued to draw closer. Then, as if on cue, the violently spinning black mass stopped its progression at the edge of the yard and tracked its course very precisely along the borders of my property without touching even one blade of grass. The raging dark cloud retraced its path, disintegrated into a vapor and then disappeared as if it never existed. The devastation it left proved otherwise. Mine was the only residence that remained untouched by the destruction. When I awoke from this graphic display, I retained a sense of peace along with wonder and intrigue for its possible message. For some time, I continued to ponder on the significance of the dream I was given.
Several days passed before God gave confirmation of his message. I was having a conversation with a friend as she said, seemingly out of the blue, “God will help you stand and give a sense of calm in the eye of the storm”. I hadn’t yet spoken to her of the dream, therefore she had no way to know how God was using her words to provide evidence of his personal message to me only days earlier.
Hearing this, I realized that God was preparing me for trials I would soon face and to remind me that through them all-he would never leave me. This message was presented by the specific images the dream entailed. The vision of a storm is intended to signify turmoil, unrest or even warfare in a person’s life. A peaceful, calming presence always represents its source, which is God. The Bible tells of how Jesus was with the disciples while being caught out at sea in the middle of a fierce storm that they were sure would be the death of them. Jesus calmed the sea and allayed fears as he halted the storm by speaking “Peace, be still (Luke 8:24).” In that moment, he not only subdued the torrential weather he and his disciples faced but also the scourge of doubt and uncertainty that plagued the hearts and minds of his beloved companions (Luke 8:22-25). By this gesture, he proved to them that their protection and security was not in their own physical abilities but in their faith in him. They didn’t see how the storm began or how it could possibly be stopped but he did.
The same is true for us. We have no way of knowing what causes some things to happen as they do. In just the same way, we can not predict how certain things will turn out because we don’t have the ability to see the future or the ‘big picture’ as they say, the way God does. He created all so it would stand to reason that he would understand and be able to control all for our benefit. Romans 8:28 says, “God will bring all things together for the good of them that love the Lord and are called according to his purpose”. When we realize how much more he knows and can control if we just let him, not to mention how willing he is to provide for us in abundance, doesn’t it seem logical and even practical to put our faith in the Lord instead of our own limited resources?
Maybe, because God knows us better than we know ourselves, he realizes our struggle to let go of our own control enough to let him work in our lives. This may explain why he uses things that catch us off guard, such as dreams, to get our attention and remind us of the ability we have in him to receive a fruitful, fulfilling life with guidance, security and protection beyond what our human minds can imagine. His enduring creativity in teaching never ceases to amaze me! How many ways he finds to bless his children-even in a late night movie of the mind!
copyright Morning Glories 2009
Several days passed before God gave confirmation of his message. I was having a conversation with a friend as she said, seemingly out of the blue, “God will help you stand and give a sense of calm in the eye of the storm”. I hadn’t yet spoken to her of the dream, therefore she had no way to know how God was using her words to provide evidence of his personal message to me only days earlier.
Hearing this, I realized that God was preparing me for trials I would soon face and to remind me that through them all-he would never leave me. This message was presented by the specific images the dream entailed. The vision of a storm is intended to signify turmoil, unrest or even warfare in a person’s life. A peaceful, calming presence always represents its source, which is God. The Bible tells of how Jesus was with the disciples while being caught out at sea in the middle of a fierce storm that they were sure would be the death of them. Jesus calmed the sea and allayed fears as he halted the storm by speaking “Peace, be still (Luke 8:24).” In that moment, he not only subdued the torrential weather he and his disciples faced but also the scourge of doubt and uncertainty that plagued the hearts and minds of his beloved companions (Luke 8:22-25). By this gesture, he proved to them that their protection and security was not in their own physical abilities but in their faith in him. They didn’t see how the storm began or how it could possibly be stopped but he did.
The same is true for us. We have no way of knowing what causes some things to happen as they do. In just the same way, we can not predict how certain things will turn out because we don’t have the ability to see the future or the ‘big picture’ as they say, the way God does. He created all so it would stand to reason that he would understand and be able to control all for our benefit. Romans 8:28 says, “God will bring all things together for the good of them that love the Lord and are called according to his purpose”. When we realize how much more he knows and can control if we just let him, not to mention how willing he is to provide for us in abundance, doesn’t it seem logical and even practical to put our faith in the Lord instead of our own limited resources?
Maybe, because God knows us better than we know ourselves, he realizes our struggle to let go of our own control enough to let him work in our lives. This may explain why he uses things that catch us off guard, such as dreams, to get our attention and remind us of the ability we have in him to receive a fruitful, fulfilling life with guidance, security and protection beyond what our human minds can imagine. His enduring creativity in teaching never ceases to amaze me! How many ways he finds to bless his children-even in a late night movie of the mind!
copyright Morning Glories 2009
